Shadow
by mizuko
Summary: AU-ish TP Sayains seem to have a propensity for getting knocked on the noggin....And if that wan't enough Pan has to find whose responsible for a series of mysterious kidnappings...
1. Prologue

AN: I cannot stress to you how old this one is! With my horrible spelling and grammar skills back then, believe me, going through this fic and The Strangest Thing is a real chore. (Seriously my elbow cramped up. Author's occupational hazard you know.) I actually got that little message say that this document had too many errors from Word! I considered put this up all in one big chunk but 50 plus pages littered with errors made me rethink that real quick. So enjoy this old thing, I've got to get back to my spell checker

Shadow

Prologue

His head throbbed like no tomorrow. Everything ached. His thoughts swam like a turtle through molasses, he couldn't think clearly.

'What was I doing?' He couldn't recall, it wasn't important though, all he could think about was the pressing urgency to get up.

The feeling of 'something' or 'some things' poking his back further increased this urgency.

Pained grunts escaped his lips as he strained to sit up, every muscle in his body felt worn, torn and beaten.

Surprised at hearing the distinct sound of leaves and twigs snapping beneath his shifting weight, his eyes flew open taking in his surroundings.

Darkness.

Trees.

Bushes.

A stream a few meters to his left.

'Where am I?'

Shadow upon shadow obscured his vision, as only a few speckles of starlight spilled down between the darken treetops.

Nothing looked familiar, though it was late in the night, so that could be it, right? He just couldn't see things clearly enough to recognize them, right?

Feeling weak, tired and confused, he slowly, painstakingly, got to his feet. His teeth clenched and he hissed at the unexpected pain that ran through his body when he applied pressure to his right leg.

"Hah, must be broken, what luck." he laughed grimly at his own situation. Stuck in the middle nowhere, at night, with a busted leg not to mention any other injuries he may have, he couldn't be sure, not with everything throbbing the way it was.

"It could be worse" he mutter to himself, "At least, I have only one broken leg"

Carefully he hobbled over to the edge of the stream, half tripping over things he couldn't see. He kneeled down or at least attempted to, instead ending up falling unceremoniously falling on his butt. He leaned over to examine his reflection and nearly jumped out of his skin.

Nothing.

No recognition.

No recollection.

Nothing.

Not even resemblance of familiarity between himself and person staring back from the water's surface.

He might as well have been looking at a stranger for all the good it did him.

'This is the part when people were supposedly suppose to freak out upon discovering they can remember nothing of their lives.'

He didn't 'freak out'.

He didn't react at all.

In fact he wasn't sure how he was suppose to react, how he was supposed to feel...

His vision suddenly became blurry and dark. Maybe it was shock or trauma, what ever it was, he was grateful for it, as slowly his consciousness seeped away.

.

Disclaimer: The characters and Dragonball Z and its logo are a registered trademark of Funimation All rights reserved. The author makes no warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, with regard to these chapters or this documentation. The author shall not be liable in any event for incidental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of the interpretation or analysis of this story….

Real Disclaimer: I'm not making any money off of this. R&R.


	2. 1

One week.

One whole week.

7 days, 169 hours, 1183 minutes, 70980 seconds (and counting...)

A whole freaking week and still no one had heard anything from Trunks.

'At least he could have the decency call or leave a message, something!'  Pan was so furious with him for not doing even that.

 At the moment she was heading over to the Briefs' for her afternoon training session with Vegeta, purposefully upsetting a flock of innocent, unsuspecting birds, their indignant squawks going unheard as she whizzed by. Pan cut her speed as she saw the tallest CC on the edge of the inclosing cityscape.

     She wasn't upset that he had left. No, he did that occasionally, leaving to train by himself or with Goten for a week or two, besides that was Bulma and Marron's department. 

   Unlike his mother and significant other, she knew he could take care of himself just fine. She was just mad he hadn't told her he was leaving. And a bit putout that as his other best friend (second only to Goten of course) he didn't even bother telling her what he was up to.

' Oh well. When he gets back I'm gonna seriously knock some sense in to him' She thought grinning she hadn't stopped training even as she got older unlike Trunks, Goten and her father. Pan had continued to Train every week and more recently with Vegeta. She wasn't SSJ yet but she could certainlly give the boys a run for their money.

As Pan approached CC she noticed a comtion out in the front lawn, a ton of reporters questioning Bulma about her son's sudden disaerance. Pan landed out of sight but stil cuaght snatches being flung at CC's President.

"Is your son really taking a vacation or is that just a cover up?"

"Is it true your son is deathly ill?"

"Do you know his exact location at the moment?"

"Is it true your son was abducted by aliens?"

That last one made her chuckle. 'I'd feel sorry for anyone that did, alien or not,' she thought she could see Bulma suppressing her smile as well. She snorted. Like anyone one could 'abduct' a prince of the saiya-jins. After thinking that thought she mentally smacked her self, 'Jeez I've been hanging around Vegeta too much, his arrogance was starting to rub off'

Pan shook her head smiling, as she headed towards the backyard entrance seen as she'd have a time trying to fight her way through 'the herd' to get to this one. Besides Vegeta got grumpy(er) when she was late.

He heard voices, muffed and faraway, or maybe it was just because he was so incredibly tired. He wanted to go back to sleep, but his stomach wouldn't allow him to, it was burning slightly just enough to make him uncomfortable.

 Yet for some reason he didn't rise yet, instinct told him to wait till he found out more about where he was exactly.

 As his awareness came back to him he realized he wasn't in the forest any more.

He could feel the softness of a bed beneath him and a blanket on top of him.

He could hear the voice more clearly as well.

"Damn, I can't believe how quickly the sedative wear off on that guy I pumped him up enough to knock out an elephant!"

"Your language..."

"Sorry father.  But at this rate we won't be able to keep him down for another day much less another week."

"It's alright, he needs to wake up sometime, can't keep him asleep forever, you know" a hearty laugh filled the... well, where ever he happed to be, "Now then, why don't you get some food for our guest while a check up on him, I have a feeling he'll be up and hungry pretty soon."

"Alright" he heard soft hurried footsteps fade away. He waited for the sound of someone coming closer but he didn't, instead he heard a door slide open and felt cool breeze sweep through the room.

"Ah, someone's awake I see, hope you don't mind me asking you a few questions we don't get visitors around these parts." A warm voice chuckled.

He opened his eyes cautiously; he was in a small room with small wooden desk bare of any thing and a nightstand next to the bed he was laying on; that was it. Looking over to his side he saw the owner of the voice.

 A man who look like he was in his mid 40's but the aura about him gave him a much older feel despite the way he look. His dark leathery skin held no trace of wrinkles except for his face, which was ridden with smile lines that reached his mirthy gray eyes when he smiled.  His dark gray hair was tied in a loose ponytail.

 "So young man, mind telling me how you got all the way out here all bang up the way you were?"

'What was I doing? Where's here?' He started to say something but the older man began first,

"We found you about a week ago, out cold next to the river, busted leg, twisted ankle, sprained wrist, broken rib, finger and toe, numerous cuts and a few burns you shouldn't have been able to move period. Much less get out here." he paused but didn't looked finished,

 "Even more amazing was, all your minor injuries were gone the next day, as if they'd never been made in the first place. Your wrist is fine now as are your finger and toe, but your rib might take awhile and you'll need to use crutches too, and stay off that leg and foot. Other than that all you need is some food in you and you'll be and good as knew." the elder male finished with a smile.

At the mention of food the younger man's stomach protested quite loudly, causing him to blush. "Sorry I guess I am a little hungry." 'Little' is an understatement I'm famished!'  the young man thought to himself.

The older man seemed to sense this and smiled.

"Well my daughter, Matsuri, will be in just a minute with some food- Oh Beg your pardon, I complete forgot to introduce myself the name Seito Otera you can just call me Seito." He exclaimed with a hearty laugh. "What your name, son?"

"I have one, at least not one that I can remember. Trun, Toru, Torun, Toran?"

At this the merry man sobered up and his expression became quite serious.

"Hmmm, do you remember any thing about yourself?"

"No. Nothing, all I remember is waking up in middle of nowhere.

 Every bone in my body hurting, I went over to the stream and I...I could not recognize myself." he admitted quietly.

Seito looked over at him sternly, as if debating something with him self; he sighed.

 "Well your in quite a predicament, you see we live on Mt Blue and right now all the snow is thawing, that stream you were near curves around the entire mountain before meeting another, once the snow starts to thaw the streams overflow and keep people out but also trap us in. You won't be able to leave for another 6 months."

"Well I not in a big hurry, so if it won't be to much trouble-"

"Of course you can stay!" Seito chuckled "But..." he added slyly

"But?"

"You have to earn your keep," he said mysteriously twinkle in his eye.

"How- All of a sudden a whilwind forest green swept through the room. She was balencing three trays of food one on her head, and two in each of her hand, Seito grabbed one with out thinking as she buzzed in.

"Oh your awake, Finally. How you get so banged up? And so far up here?" she paused to lay down the trays, then looked at him, "You're cute. Why'd someone want to beat up a cute guy like you. Wait don't answer yet I need to check you."

He blush in embarrassment and Seito laughed.

"This is my daughter Matsuri, lively isn't she?" He didn't know how to respond so he just nodded.

"Father!"

"Can you sit up? Do you feel any pain when you breath?" the girl asked firing off 20 similar questions while helping him sit up. Her hair was forest green, held back in a ponytail much like her father's. She was medium height and build, smooth honey brown skin, but the strangest thing about her were her eyes unlike her bubbly exterior they far more reserved. 'Still, she's got way too much energy... Hey where are my clothes?'  he noticed he was in some kind of robe

He didn't get a chance to ask; in a flash she was checking his ankle and leg, and handing him a tray laden with soup and veggies and fruits. His stomach growled loudly once more and that was all he needed.

He didn't notice their stares at his 'enthusiastic' eating. He was so hungry he ignored the sharp taste that accompanied the food and the starnge feeling it sent down his spine. With in minutes of the tray being placed on his lap the food was completely gone.

" Thank you. That feels so much better, may I have some more?"

Matsuri just nodded half gaping passing him the tray that had been on the desk.

'Oh that must have been hers may be I should-

"Don't worry I already ate. I brought the just in case, I just didn't expect you to finish so quickly. When you get done we'll check you rib then see how you fair on some crutches" she added her cheeriness returning.

 Seito also shook himself out of his trance "Well I guess a growing boy really needs his food! Wow, your fast, remind me to never compete with you in a food eating contest!"

"So what's your name any way?"

"ahh....well"  'what should I say?'

"Matsuri our guest seems to have a slight case of amnesia, he will be staying with us till the river slows in November. For now let's call you Toran after your grandfather's katana."

"Alright," he agreed, "Toran it is"

Marron watched, Bulma holding in her tears as she made the disscion to file a missing persons report. Vegeta was out looking for Trunks again like he had been doing for the past week and a half, along with the rest of the guys. Bra was out checking the city just in case leaving Bulma Pan and herself at CC.  It was Sunday evening;  two months since Trunks disappeared with out a word.

   At first she got mad they'd made plans for a date that night for their 6 month anniversary and she waited all night for him and he never showed up; who wouldn't have been angry?

Then she got even madder when he didn't call the next week or the one after that. It wasn't until she'd gone to Capsule Corporation to talk to him personally that she found out that her fiance was missing. After that it had just been an emotional merry-go-round. Worried, upset, mad, scared even.

Marron sat on the couch wondering what could have happen.

Did he chicken out on her? Did he not want to marry her?

Did he leave not wanting to face her? Or see her face?

Or was he hurt somewhere?

Dead some where?

Bulma had to fill in for her son as while training Bra for taking over the vacant VP position, as well as maintain her own position as President.

It was definitely putting a strain on Brief family, to say the least; the house was so quite now, it was weird, Vegeta almost all together quit arguing with Bulma (when she was home), Bra had been in the process of moving out, so it was like going to a ghost house.

Bulma talking police on the phone with a drink of some kind in her hand and Pan was sitting next to them on the couch trying to keep their sprits up. Vegeta believed totally that nothing was wrong with his son and he wish that he would quote, 'Get his ass home so that woman would quit moping'

"I'm sure he's okay" Pan reassured Bulma, who was close to tears.

"If he is, why hasn't he called?" the blue haired woman asked teetering between anger and sorrow.

"Maybe," Marron spoke, "Maybe he can't reach a phone right now or-"

"Hah! Yeah right, I'd have believed that the first week! Don't tell me he can't reach a phone in after month's time!" Bulma fumed taking another sip from her cup.

'Poor Bulma. I wonder what she put in that drink, I need some...' Marron thought. Pan sent her a, your- not-helping look, but she didn't say anything. Bulma needed to let her emotions out.

"Something's not right. Something's wrong with Trunks...with my little boy..."

   Bulma's voice dropped to a hushed tone, "I can tell, mother's intuition. I remember the first time I held him... when he took his first steps, you should've seen him; he was the most adorable thing,"

She laughed sadly "But he had this look, it was the meanest look this side of Chikyuu, just like Vegeta, it looked so cute on him even though he was doing his best to be mad..."

   Bulma laughed again "Oh, I remember the day Vegeta realized Trunks was taller than him, Trunks must have been 14 or 15 at the time, Vegeta got so cranky, of course he didn't say why he never does, it took me a week to figure it out, he didn't want his son to grow up either..."

Bulma kept talking about good things she remembered, she was rambling now, probably due to her drink. Some of Bumla's tales even made her smile a little. 'What's her problem' she thought, as Pan looked upset for some reason. 'What's wrong now? Bulma's so calm now.'

Then it hit her.

Bulma was talking about Trunks as if...'As if he's died already or was never coming back' Bulma was, in her own way, accepting the fact that he might never come back, that she may never see her son again... 'Maybe she's right, he would've come home or called by now, Maybe- I what am I thinking, of course he'll be back, won't he?' Marron frowned at her own doubt.

She abruptly stood up. "It's getting late, we could all use some rest. Goodnight Bulma. Pan." 'I need to get out of here, and think a bit.'

"Goodbye Marron"

"See you later"

Pan stayed with Bulma till Vegeta came home, around midnight, and Promply wisked her off to bed, without so much as a thanks. (Not that she was expecting one)

She couldn't help but be a little upset, 'first Bulma then Marron, whose next?' They starting to doubt if he was alright or alive.

She knew he was okay; wherever he was, he just had to be.


	3. 2

"Ahh crap! sh-" 'That hurt!' Toran mentally cursed the stupid crutches. He'd just gotten up for his midnight run to the kitchen for a snack, it was dark and those darn crutches didn't help he'd hit something, a wall or corner perhaps, with end of and lost his balance, he had leaned a the closest wall regain it, but lo and behold, the blasted wall turned out to be a sliding door. And now he was sprawled out on the floor without a clue of where he was and only one of stupid crutches. He'd been with Seito and Matsuri for quite some time now; they'd been so kind to allow him to stay with them. The two were something that's for sure, Seito was a merry man who loved to joke, Toran had yet to see him really serious. And Matsuri was her own enigma, happy one moment calm and collected the next.

'Only thing worse than having two of the blasted things is having one' he thought scowling at the troublesome crutch.

He could see a little better than in the hall, a window let some starlight in.

It was completely empty save few things hanging on the furthest wall from his unexpected entrance.

'It looks familiar some how...'

Don't do that, you know what they say 'curiosity killed the cat'

"Yeah but, your not cat your a...a human. Now then..." For some reason it didn't feel right to say that. Shrugging off the feeling of uncertainty, Toran hobbled over to the wall.

They were swords maybe15, 20 of them, all covered with some sort of cloth over their sheaths.

Balancing as best he could on one crutch, he carefully took one off the wall. As if in a trance he carefully studied it. Must have been 4-6ft minus the hilt, ' Almost the same size as the one I had...As the one I had?! I HAD...' Half a memory came to him, nothing but muddled images and half said conversations.

        He must have been standing there a while, at least till he 'felt' Seito's presence. Didn't know how he knew, he just knew; beside anyone in a ten mile radius could hear Matsuri coming.

"I remember," he started not turning around, merely laying the sword in its place. Seito's science meant he was listening.

"I remember, someone gave me a sword once, taught me how to use it.... but someone else, someone close to me said "Depending on a metal tooth pick is for the weak, not for a saying..." He didn't bother to say the rest it just confused him.

"I can hear them and see them but their faces and names are a blur...

I'm sorry for intruding."

"Don't be, if it helped you even just a little."  Seito silently approached him.

  One odd thing about Seito was you could never hear him coming; it unnerved him every time Seito sneaked on him. He had to listen very hard to hear his breathing. So instead of listening like he did for Matsuri, Toran 'felt' for Seito's presence. He couldn't explain how though.

"If you're willing to learn I will teach you, if you become my student

you'll have earned your keep." He was all seriousness now, unlike his usual jolly self.

"Really? You'd teach me?" the prospect of learning any thing related to fighting appealed to him greatly. Strangely, it excited him.

His face lit up like a bulb.

"Think about it now, it's hard work Toran, and not all sword play to learn my family's style of fighting, takes dedication and-"

"I'll do it! I'll do it!"

"Well, Alright"

"Yes! Thank you! When can I start?" He felt ready to go to, ready get started and- He stomach growled loudly angered from being neglected.  He remembered why he'd gotten up in the first place.

'Can't you keep quite even for a minute?' he thought at the traitorous organ, which rumbled again in spite of him.

Why should it? Your the one that forgot to eat! darn that small voice again.

Seito became his usual self again. "The Bottomless Pit calls again." he teased picking up the other crutch.

They'd quickly gotten used to Toran's oddities, like his eating habits, his hair (it Toran himself had to get used to that one, lavender hair, sheesh!) and his uncanny ability to know where anyone was in the house at any given moment.

  "Well I can give you your first lesson right now" he said leading him out of the room in the direction of the kitchen.

 "Think of your body like a car. Now, what happens when you don't put gas in that car?"

'Duh that's easy' he thought hobbling after the old man.

"It won't go"

"Good. I don't think that one needs repeating with you and that stomach, Matsuri is already starting breakfast."

"This early? What time is it?"

"Almost sunrise, which reminds me, I expect you to be up every morning before sunrise. You'll address me as sensei. Follow my every instruction to a 'T', and always, always be on your guard"

   With that said, Seito abruptly stopped, almost causing a collision with out a word he opened a hidden sliding door much like the one he'd fallen in earlier except this was a pantry of some kind filled with medicines and herbs ect. 'I wonder how many of these hidden doors there are, he must have them all memorized'

"Ahh here we are" Seito pulled out rack of dried leaves the size of his palm.

"What are those for?" he asked attentively

"Preventatives."

"Why? What for?"

"There is a plant, the Mali, in these forests on these mountains that has a deadly poison in them, but by consuming the leaves you build up an immunity. You where lucky you didn't run in to a Mali before we found you. Since a lot of your activities will we outdoors, this is for your safety."

"I have to eat them? Do you and Matsuri have immunity?"

"Yes. Don't look so grim they don't taste that bad! In fact the go excellent on chicken as seasoning!"

The house or compound really was situated in the side of the mountain, literally. One could not tell they were on a mountain till they went outside. A person could see for miles all around nothing but forest and other mountains. It made one realize how insignificant they were compared to the world. It made him wonder how he even got there himself.

"Toran are you paying attention or are you taking in the scenic view?" Matsuri taunted from her seat on the stoop in front of the doorway to the house.

"What?" 'Ahh, so she does have a mean bone after all'

"Toran focus." Seito commanded, the older man was now standing in front of him with a slab of wood about 3ft long 2 inches thick held at arms length.

"I want you to break this."

"Is that all?"  'Wow this one's easy compared to the others' His muscles were still stiff from the earlier exercises.

"Don't over estimate yourself just as much as you don't underestimate your opponent"

"Yes sensei"

He looked at the board once more as if to figure out how to approach it.

"Okay" he placed his feet shoulders width apart and bent his knees slightly.

The old man raised an eyebrow at this. He felt kind of silly but it felt right almost like it was second nature to him.

'Maybe it is and you don't know it'

He balled his fist and swung with his whole upper torso.

CRACK! THUD!

"Father!"

"Sensei Are you alright!"

"Wow what a punch!" Seito groaned standing up. Not only was the wood broken but the holder had been thrown several feet back as well.

"Father are you sure your alright?"

"Yeah I'm just fine, remind me to start teaching him some restraint looks like he already got enough strength in him." Seito laughed for the first time that day. Matsuri looked mad.

"I'm sorry, I don't know my own strength."

"You had better be! What if he'd been facing the other direction, you idiot?! He would have gotten thrown down the incline into a tree or something!" he'd never seen Matsuri upset. Period. 'Still she doesn't have to go ballistic on me'

"I said I was sorry," he states getting mad at her for being mad at him, "I didn't mean to. I didn't know it'd hit so hard."

Her eyes narrowed.

"If he had gotten killed because you-

Seito's voice silenced them.

"Children stop this! Matsuri, I am fine I assure you, it'll take more than that to get rid of tough old bird like me." He chuckled his gray eye sparkling, "Well I must say your full of surprises boy I didn't think you get so far in one day what do you say we go eat dinner. You can do your last lesson while we're at it"

"Another!? What now?" 'I'm tired' Seito was already heading back inside,

"Matsuri is going to teach you how to cook."

"What?"

"Cook?!"

Pan sat on the roof of the new apartment she'd just moved into only a few days ago. It was a great place to think and be alone. She sat with her leg dangling off the side off the building

Things seemed to be falling apart around her, her uncle was blaming him self for 'not being a better friend' one of his bad days again. Goten was the last to see him they'd been sparring, Trunks had been distracted he said. Marron and Bra had stopped by to say hello but ended up having a tear fest on her couch. Even her parents sounded kind of mopey when they'd called; Trunks had been like another little brother to them.

Pan felt even worse because there was nothing she could really do to help. She looked for work during the day and spent her nights searching for Trunks. The media was in an uproar over the whole fiasco not to mention the shake up the shift in power had caused in the business world. She laughed a short grim laugh 'who knew one person affect so much. I feel so useless, I should be out looking for him right now!'  Another more rational part of her brain told her that she needed sleep to look for work, which brings income that in turn brings food. If only she could look for him while working... Perhaps then maybe she'd feel, not quite so useless and unhelpful.

'Just a little while tonight.' She thought taking off of the roof an into the night sky.

Matsuri stood completely silent and still, a long wooden staff in her hand as she waited for her opponent to make his move. Her perceptive gray eyes watched for every subtle movement made around her, listening for every bird that chirp, every tree that rustled, any twig that snapped. 'He's getting good...'

Matsuri heard the faint snapping of a twig several meters to her left, right behind her. Though the trees obscured her vision she knew her opponent was very close with out a moment's hesitation she jumped silently to a tree branch above her. Blending in with the shadows the canopy cast, Her opponent shrugged forward a second later into the empty glade she'd just been hiding in moments before. Now that she could see him his lavender hair stood out against the surrounding trees and forestry. Only his black gi melted into the dappled shadows in the forest.

'It's a wonder he can hide anywhere with hair like that.'

Matsuri watched with a bird eye view of Toran, as he looked about the now vacant area confused before frowning. "Darn, she heard me." She heard him mutter as he looked for signs of which way she'd gone. He cursed frustrated again, having lost her for the fifth time today, he punched a nearby innocent tree. Matsuri's gray eyes widened as a vicious crack split at the point of contact falling almost immediately; the whole thing! Trunks, seeing his mistake, had comically apologetic look come over his face as he jumped to the other side to prevent it from falling. Steadying it as best he could. 'What are you doing?!. The green hair woman wondered. Amazingly as he actually succeeded, without even breaking a sweat! He walked off continuing the search for the person he might have seen, had he looked up.

Dropping back to the forest floor she looked at the tree he'd punched slack jawed. It was now planted about a foot or two deeper than it had been before. 'But how can he be that strong? Just a few weeks ago he was on crutches now he can walk as lightly as a feather floats. It doesn't add up right. I sense something different about him. And not just his abilities either. ' Still she needed to start heading back. By the dimming light she could tell it was time to start heading back; she needed to speak with her father about what she'd had just witnessed and his progress in this particular exercise. He obvious needed more training he wasn't going to catch her any time soon.

Matsuri turned heading back towards the house, her mind preoccupied on the enigma that was Toran. Having seen Toran walking in the opposite direction moments earlier she wasn't paying to much attention to her surrounding.

"Deep thoughts?" a male voice protruded her train of thought.

She looked up to see Toran walking beside her. She hadn't heard him not even his breathing.

"How'd you find me?! How'd you catch up so quickly?" she demanded.

Being caught off guard wasn't something she was used to.

Toran tapped his nose with a small smile," I can smell you."

She wasn't amused.

"Why you!! How dare-

"Not like that, I mean you have a smell and so does your father, every one does I just followed my nose." the faint smile dissolved "What happens next?" Asking about his training.

Matsuri shrugged, "No ones gotten this far in such a short amount of time.'  A sly smile reappeared a faint mischievous gleam cam to his eyes Matsuri groaned inwardly hoping he hadn't remembered their bet.

"Well since I caught you you'll be doing dinner duty for the rest of the month," he gloated, "I you said I'd never find you."

It was no surprise to her that his ego got a major inflation. His was usually so quiet and introverted, but sometimes he was like a different person arrogant, cold and calculative, very strange indeed.

What an odd one we've picked up.

The trio ate dinner in companionable silence and then dispersed. After two months of living with the Oteras, he'd gotten used to the poigent taste of Mali seasoning in almost every meal.  He even got used to the funny feeling it gave him in the base of his spine. Later he found out that it was why their eyes were gray, from acclimating to high levels of Mali in their systems.

Seito along with Matsuri would train Toran during the daylight hours but night was used for resting; excluding training sessions, which took place at night, which at this point in his training rarely occurred.

Toran sat not to far away from the house, watching the stars come out. A gentle summer breeze ruffled his lavender hair. He closed his azure eyes and listen to the beginning of the natures nightly serenade.

It was the perfect time of day, everything seemed to wind down and relax.

It was during this time that Toran mused over his blank past.

Some days he got so frustrated trying to unlock his memories it was maddening. Other times he felt he just didn't care, let his brain fix its self on it's own. He had flashes mere seconds of images and muddled voices, usually while training. But not any thing clear or profound, like his memory of receiving a sword. That particular flash had occurred when Seito first began teaching him the Shadow sword techniques.

Still he had many questions, like his strength for example.

He knew it wasn't normal, nor was his appetite or speed. He wondered what his parents were like, what was his mother like?

What kind of family did he belong to? Where did he live and where was he from? What sort of life did he live?

 Or did he have a family of his own? A wife and kids? He idly wondered if the rest of his family had odd colored hair. The thought off a large family reunion with lots of odd haired people made him chuckle.

He yawned well his foggy mind wasn't divulging any of it's secrets, perhaps sleep would jarr his memories. He doubted that, but he was tired anyways. He stood up; stretching his limbs he began walking back inside.

Maybe he should stop trying to figure out his past. Maybe he should focus on just the future from now on. He paused blinking, from some reason that thought disturbed him. Like there was something really important he would be missing if he did. Someone he may forget forever.


	4. 3

Time, like a steam, flowed onward. Years trickled by for the man without a past.  The young man was taught with alarming speed and progression the way of a shadow warrior, walk like a shadow, move like a shadow, become like a shadow; silently, quickly, deadly...

Trunks wasn't the only one who changed; after all, time doesn't stop for any one. After a year the police searches for the missing VP of Capsules Corp. became less and less frequent gradually coming to a complete halt. Bra was now the Vice President of CC.  Marron accepted the fact that her fiancé wasn't coming back and moved on. She eventually settled down and married.

Trunks wasn't talked about much, as if it were some unspoken taboo to mention him, especially around Bulma, who'd burst into tears at the slightest mention of her lost child. The Sons, Briefs and Krillin's family still kept on the look out for Trunks Vegeta Briefs but hope of his return was dwindling smaller and small each day. Only Vegeta and Pan kept actively searching for him.

As for Trunks himself his memories came to him less and less eventually they stopped; leaving his past as much a mystery as his future.

Seito watched Toran and Matsuri in the near by forest from in front of the house. The occasional flash of lavender signaled Matsuri was on his tail again, literally. They had been mildly surprised to find one day he'd just woken up with the furry brown tail. Toran blamed it on the Mali seasoning. Riiiight. The younger man walked without much balance for a while. Matsuri had suggested cutting it off, but Toran quite vehemently opposed learning how to control his movement with a tail. For some odd reason the thing seem to make him stronger, if possible.

Seito shook his head, 'That boy is one great mystery after another. If he ever gets his memories back I'm sure he'll have quite the story to tell us. '

He spotted another flash of lavender followed by the forest green colored hair that was his families trait. It was obvious that Matsuri was chasing Toran, who was only a few lengths ahead of the girl.

Matsuri was supposed to find Toran, and Toran's mission was to not get caught.

 NOT for Toran to tease Matsuri with his speed, staying only arms length before disappearing again. Seito himself was hard pressed to follow Toran's movement even with his vantage point a ways away from the two.

The boy was amazing he'd learned at an astonishingly rapid rate, a mere five years after Toran had unexpectedly joined him and his daughter, Toran knew every thing Seito had to teach. And now he was making sport of Matsuri

 He watched his daughter frustrated look for Toran again. Seito chuckled 'Oh well better let them have their fun for now.'

He looked at the letter his twin bother, Tosei had sent requesting his help.

He sighed he was to old to do that kind of thing anymore. He watched Toran get the drop on Matsuri yet again, she was hopping mad now her anger was getting the better of her normally good judgment.

Those two could be quite a team, but they were so completive with each other he couldn't see why either. This was the perfect thing to teach them some teamwork with his brother's supervision of course.

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"What?!"

"Sataan City."  Puzzled (now silver-flecked) blue eyes frowned at the named.

"But why?!" Shock gray eyes pleaded.

"Is that far?" Toran muttered more to himself than his sensei.

"Father?!"  Matsuri demanded an explanation.

"Please, hush for a moment and let me explain, your uncle Tosei needs my help on a case of his, but I'm too old to go trampizing up and down this mountain, so I'm sending you two instead. You both have done so well I have nothing more to teach either of you, but you need to work on your teamwork skills, my bother can do that even better than I can. Don't worry you can come back as soon as the case is closed or 4 months which ever comes first. Any questions?"

Silence.

"Good a plane will arrive within a week, start packing."

$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%$%

Pan barreled into the chiefs office, not caring a bit if she was out of line or not, he had no right! It was their case and she didn't need anyone else's help. No matter how good they were.

"What's the meaning of this?!" she asked dropping a file of papers on the chiefs desk, her eyes a blaze with indignation.

The chief flick a cool gray eye down at the papers, "What's it look like Lt? The district officials are starting to get edging and the mayor's already breathing down my neck." he replied not backing down a bit.

Ever since Trunks disappeared 5 years ago, she start working with the police in search of her friend. Even thought the police stopped looking ages ago she decided to become an officer and help protect the city in a less embarrassing and public way then her parents had when they were young.  She handled missing persons cases in the hopes that she would, on day, find her friend.  Anyways. This last case had been especially difficult for the her and her partner, Gabriel Jacob Emmanuel the third (Or Gabe for short).

A train of disappearances had started, with out leaving any evidence or clues if the victims had almost nothing in common except that there was little or nothing about any of them and they all seemed to have moved from the mountains north of Sataan city. Some of them were semi public figures others were average Joes, 8 had disappeared as of yesterday when another one simply vanish in the middle of the night.

Pan glared back at the chief, "We don't need more help there are enough people as it is." She felt a gentle hand rest on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. She felt some of her anger leave, just a little.

"Pan calm down, I know we can get the job done." Gabe told her, "It's nothing personal, it's just more people are disappearing we need to work faster."

"You knew about this?!" She felt betrayed, how could he not tell her?

Chief Tosei cleared his throat, " We knew how you'd react. Be happy your not getting reassigned. Your new partners will arrive later today. Be back by noon." He stated dismissing her.

Pan turned and stormed out of the precinct ignoring the looks from her coleags.

"She's such a loose cannon these days." Gabe muttered apologetically to the chief, who nodded. "That's exactly why your her partner, you make sure she doesn't go blasting into every thing in her path. Have any idea why she so ticked all week."

"Yeah a friend of her disappeared a few years back, the Briefs kid, what's his name? ...Trunks. I think he disappeared around this time she always gets moody around this time..."

"I understand, go calm her down and bring her back." the old chief sighed scratching his head of dark gray hair.

"Yessir."

Elsewhere...

Pan continued to fume while walking aimlessly down the busy shopping district of Sataan city. Her feet move without her taking her where they wished, head was a million miles away.

"I can't believe those two ganged up on me!"

Cause they know you can take on one by himself a small voice told her.

"Yeah well..." she sighed her anger was quickly evaporating as she thought about the situation logically. Being outside helped clear her head and it was such a nice day very, blue skies, bright sunshine it had just rained this morning and everything smelled fresh and new as well as the vivid green around her it was the beginning of spring and every thing was vibrant with colors. Incidentally her feet had taken her to the park.

She sat down on the driest bench she could find, a lot calmer then when she had stormed out of the precinct. 'I shouldn't have blown up at them like that.'

She was angry, they thought she couldn't find these missing people, if any thing she was the last people to want to give up looking, she didn't want any one to end up like... like Trunks. No one's family and friends should have go though that kind of pain.

She watched the kids playing, family outings, and couples strolling in the park to get her mind off that particular subject, it would only succeed in depressing herself, she stood up again feeling a restless need to moving about again. She walked down one of the quieter trails. She still went out weekly, almost ritually to look for him no high nor hair of him since the day he left not even a ki reading. Pan shook her head 'now is not the time, you have to focus on the case. It's ten forty-five, perhaps I should start heading back.'

"I'm not lost!" She heard a particularly loud argument some where ahead of her. 'Can't they keep it down this is a public park' her police instincts kicking in; if they got any louder... That voice sounded familiar. Her instincts pushed her to see who was talking if only for curiosities sake.

"Leave it to a guy to never admit when he's lost." an unfamiliar female voice huffed.

"Your the one that insisted we try a short cut." Pan froze. She knew that voice! It had to be him! Speeding up just a little bit more she came back to the bench she had been at before, in front stood a slightly flustered looking woman and HIM.

He was wearing black pants and a black shirt, as was his companion.

His hair was a little longer than she was used to but there was no mistaking that voice, that face, those eyes. She could barely breathe. "T-Trunks?" in came out choked and barely audible even to her ears.

Pan felt tears well up in her eyes, "Trunks! Trunks your back!"

That was definitely audible.

Toran barely had time to prepare himself for the assault as a young woman barreled straight at him at speeds that seems almost inhumane. She ran straight into him hugging him furiously, crying and laughing at the same time, "Your back! Your home! Your really here." she cried holding him as if he'd disappeared at second glance. Just as quickly as she'd appeared her laughter turned into sobs. Her soft body shuddered in his reluctant embrace.

He was quiet bewildered and surprised, not quiet sure what to do the petite dark haired woman now sobbing into his chest. It pulled his heartstrings to hear the girl cry like that. Who is she? What is she to me? ..

Toran look desperately to Matsuri, who was no help, she had the same dumbfounded expression he was probably wearing.

The girl suddenly pulled herself together and stepped back, "I' m sorry Trunks it's just that it's been so long since you left." Is that my name? Trunks?  She looked up at him with stunning dark eyes, although still slightly watery they were very beautiful, she was beautiful. She was wearing light blue jeans and a brown leather jacket. There was something about her... Toran was positive he had seen her face before, but as always he couldn't remember.

"Where have you been? I missed you. And so has everybody else. It's been five years."

Her voice still slightly choked up, Toran felt bad for what he had to say next.

"Who are you?" he demanded gently but firmly. She blinked trying to cover up a fleeting look of hurt.

"Trunks, w what do you mean? It's me Pan. You've known me your entire life!" she was starting to panic or sounded about to, she looked him directly into his blue eyes, searching for the painful truth.

"You don't remember me or Goten, your parents, your sister, or Marron?" It was more of a statement than a question. He opened his mouth but nothing came out.

The girl, Pan, looked at her feet not knowing what say, she looked ready to cry again. Pan felt like a knife had gone straight through her heart. The pain of losing some one was one thing, but the pain of a dear friend looking at you like a total stranger, like you had never existed to them.... She could look into his handsome blue eye and there was no recognition. None.

Luckily Matsuri stepped in, "I'm sorry." she said sincerely "He has amnesia, my name is Matsuri, he's been staying with my family for the past five years." shaking hands with the distraught girl.

Pan smile sadly though grateful at Matsuri's friendly gesture. "I guess since you don't remember me, it's like a first introduction, I'm Pan Son, nice to meet you." There was a brief but awkward silence. "I couldn't help but overhear your predicament, I live here and I be happy to help you find where ever it is your looking for." She offered smiling a little but it didn't seem to reach her eyes, "As long as you tell me what you've been up to these last five years. Is she your girlfriend?"

"What?! Him?! NO!" Matsuri screeched, shaking her forest green head in horror.

Toran finally got his voice function properly he smiled, "Thanks, it nice to know I'm that horrible." Pan chuckled at the two's antics.

To Pan he said, "We'd appreciate it if you'd help us find Lambert street." She looked slightly surprised.

"Hey, what do you know? I was heading there myself."

"Good we'd hate to trouble you."

"It's no trouble" she smiled infectiously, something about that smile made him feel at ease. But...Her smile...it was so sad...His chest constricted at the complete sadness she was obviously trying to hide behind a smile. He smiled back. Matsuri was grinning like a Cheshire cat for some reason he would find out why later though as Pan started to speak again

"So tell me, if you don't mind, what have you been up to these past five years...

 Half an hour later...

Toran groaned as Matsuri finished another slightly humiliating tale. It would have been funny. If it weren't about him. She really didn't need to tell Pan about how'd tripped over his own two feet once and rolled half way down the mountain. Really, she didn't.

"Really Matsuri you don't have to..."

"Oh but really, I insist." The two girls ahead of him shared a look, before starting laugh. Scary.

Pan suddenly stopped "This is Lambert street. Anything else?"

"Where's the police station?" Pan's eyes hiked up in surprise, "You two aren't in any trouble are you?"

Toran shook his head. "N-no we're going to see Matsuri's uncle he works there."

She chuckled at his nervousness, "It's alright, I work here too." She lend them inside of the building they'd stopped in front of.

The place looked fairly busy lots of people moving hurriedly from place to place. "What's your uncle's name?"

"Otera."

"Are you serious?!" Matsuri nodded with conviction. "Ok right this way." Dark haired girl in front led the way, falling oddly silent in thought. Toran studied Pan, quietly as they followed her. On the way there she had been quite easy to get a long with, very easy to talk to. Her smile was contagious and her laughter was music. She covered her emotions well.

He wondered what his relationship was to her, she said they were friends but he could help wonder if they were ever...the way she felt when she hugged him. He needed to talk to her later about...his past, without Matsuri tagging along. As Toran looked over her again, not that his eyes were looking at much else, he noticed, she carried no guns, as he suspected most police did, nor did she wear a uniform. Maybe she'd been off or something.

"This is it." Pan said almost sadly, Matsuri nodded and knock.

"Come in."

Matsuri went in ahead. Trunks hung back for a moment, "Pan could I talk with you later, alone." He blushed," I mean to, to talk my past!" he stumbled over his words.

She nodded "Have the rest of the day off, so when ever you get done talking to the chief I'll be in the first office down the hall to your left." She waved for a moment not quite sure how to say goodbye, obviously it was hard for her. He could see the pain she was trying to cover up with her smile. She waved, "Later Trunks!"

"See you Panny."

Pan sat down into her chair and let out a deep breath. Trunks is alive and well that's good, but he doesn't remember anything. Why does it hurt so much? I should be happy he's alive...but the way he looked at me at first, I am a stranger to him. Funny he still calls me Panny. He's changed a lot. Did he have to be so nice too, I can't believe he was actually nervous talking to me that's never happened before.' She rested her head back closing her eyes, seeing his intense blue ones in her mind. Some old feeling started to bring it's self back from its sleep. She frowned, 'I'm not going to open that can of worms, he has a fiancée already or did anyways, He won't ever treat you as more than a friend so don't even go there again.'

It's ironic he comes back and can't remember a darn thing. Not me, not his fiancée, not his family-' Pan jerked up in her seat "Oh shoot I completely forgot! Bulma will be so happy!" She laid her hand on the phone, but a knock at the door stopped her.

"Yes?"

Gabe whirled in a dopey grin on his face and a glazed over look in his brown eyes. "Oh Pan! I just saw an angel!"  She rolled her eyes, "another one that's the fifth one this month! Any more angels and I'll start thinking you've died n' gone to heaven already."

Gabe ignored her sarcasm, " But this one's special!"

"So were the others."

He continued excitedly, not even hearing her.

"She's new here and I asked if she wanted me to show her around and she said yes!" Pan giggled as her friend nearly jumped for joy. Gabe was such a romantic, he did every thing the whole nine yards from flowers to candy for the ones he deemed to be 'angels', unfortunately as romantic as he was he wasn't the best at picking the right angels, more often then not leaving him broken hearted.

"I hope this one works out for you," she said sincerely. Gabe tilted his head, "What up with you Pan? You seem a little different today. First you blow up this morning then you come back all sad and down. Is something wrong?"

"No nothing." She smiled for him, "I'm okay."

"If you say so Pan. I'm outta here See you tomorrow Pan."

"Bye." She slumped back in her chair thinking of what Trunks might ask her but found it hard to concentrate on anything besides those cool blues eyes of his. Even his eyes looked slightly different. Sighing she laying back in her chair again and closing her eyes. Perhaps a quick nap would clear her head.


	5. 4

AN: Here some more of this. In addition to having my laptop on the fritz my computer is also going to be fixed. That means more new stuff for you guys. So enjoy!

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"Well that does clear up some things." Toran listened intently to what Pan had to say about his families history as he cleaned the last dropped of ice cream sundae from it's bowl. He leaned back into the semi-circle cushion seat, in heavy thought. Some things like his strength, speed, and the tail.

After talking with Matsuri's uncle Tosei, he'd found Pan asleep in her office, deciding to let her rest he had take a seat and nodded off as well. They'd slept most of they day away, and she was a pit peeved that he hadn't just woken her up, but nothing serious.

Pan had taken him to a near by ice cream parlor so the could sit for a while and have a snack too.

It's shocking to learn you're part alien but for some reason it didn't surprise him as much as it should have. It explained his love of fighting, his appetite, and his unnatural speed, among other things. Definitely the tail. He decided to keep that bit of info to himself.

"An here I thought there was something wrong with me for always eating so much."

Pan licked her sticky fingers clean, the impish look back on her features. It was way better than the sadness she had had around her earlier. She should smile more he hated causing her sadness.

"Just wait till you see our families eat all together. Limbs have been known to be lost in such a frenzy." She said laughing.

"Tell me more about my family," he asked shyly.

"You have a younger sister Bra, she my best friend, who looks exactly like your mother just younger. You definitely have your parents good looks." She told him, looking down at the empty bowl in front of her.

A slight blush crept across his cheeks. Good thing she wasn't looking. 'Cute ' he thought with a small grin.

"Your mother's a genius, technology wise as well as a good business woman. Your father is the same only he excels in fighting strategy, he the strongest person on the planet, no doubt. He's as stubborn and as proud as they come. They both are in some ways. It's funny they're always arguing but it's the way the are, they love each a lot and they always express themselves loud and clear."

"Your best friend was my uncle Goten, you two got into so much trouble when you were younger. Your moms use to call you the Terrible Twosome when you were growing up. He owns a small dojo near here, the best one in a Sataan city." Pan added proudly.

She stopped to think a bit, biting her lip, as if debating with herself." You did have a fiancée before you left," She paused to she his reaction, a blank look. "Her name was Marron, she was a good friend too. She waited for two years waiting for you to come back but she gave up hope. She got married eventually, tried of waiting."

Pan fiddled with the edge of a napkin unable to look him in the face. "Bulma, your mother, gave up too, she was so heart broken... After that the police stopped searching too. And then one by one all our friends stopped too. Th-they didn't think you'd come back. I kept searching, your father too." She was on the verge of tears again, he hated himself for bring such pain to these people, to the sad angel who sat in front of him. "It was like you were dead." she continued voice trembling, she turned her face away but he could see a tear slipping down her cheek. "They missed so much, I missed you."

Feeling the need to comfort her somehow, he gently reached out to wipe away her tears. "I'm sorry, Panny."

What ever it was he said, it just made more start to silently fall from her soft brown eyes. He moved over closer to her and let her cry on his shoulder gently hugging her delicate frame. He'd just met her this morning and it was already killing him to see her in pain. "I'm here, Panny. Please don't cry, your gonna make me start." He joked

She giggled through her sniffles she wiped the rest off her tears away. "That's better," he said coaxing her into a better mood.

"I'm sorry Trunks, here I am bawling all over you and you barely even know me. You have nothing to be sorry about." She chuckled, "I don't cry this much normally, in fact I've never cried twice in the same year much less day, till now." She blushed slightly after saying that.

He laughed at her cute blush, "I must be pretty special to make a girl like you cry twice in the same day." he glance down at her.

Their eyes locked for a moment, those beautiful brown eyes had trapped him in a hypnotic spell, and it made him quite aware of how close they were; his arm was still wrapped around her protectively.

She was so beautiful, but so sad...those eyes gazed at him enticingly; his eyes flickered momentarily to her soft pick lips...

He mentally slapped himself, calmly backing away from the siren.

What was that? He thought removing his arm and scooting over back across from her. This intense feeling had washed over him before he'd even know it, taking him by complete and utter surprise.

Breaking the moment he struggle for words, "S-so what about you?"

You didn't tell me about your self, Pan."

He asked half wanting to break the awkward moment, half curios wanting to know more about the dark haired woman.

"Me? I'm nobody special. We were friends, good friends. We'v- I've known you since I was a little girl." She said forcing a smile. It didn't quite shine like the others. It was sad again.

'Only friends? Hmm... Just a friend huh. Must have been some fiancée if I ignored this girl.' Toran's blue eyes narrowed a bit thinking deeper into what ifs and whys he didn't know (or remember).

An awkward silence fell between them for a moment.

"Do you want to meet your family?" Pan asked a little nervously, he'd gotten so quiet for a minute. Toran if possible got even quieter.

"I...I don't think I should." he said turning away, when he finally answered.

"What? But why?!" Pan demanded more than a little shocked. A determined look came over her features. "This is your family we're talking about? They'd love to have you back, why don't you want to see them?" They've been missing him for five years not knowing what had become of him and he refuses to go see them. He'd better have a good reason.

"Pan let me explain before you jump to any conclusions. I've been gone from their lives for years, and from what you've been telling me, everybody seems to be moving on if I came back now I'd only disrupted everything they have been putting back together.

I'd love to get to know my family, but I can't remember them, I think it'd just be more painful to have a loved one come back and them not remember..."

"Trunks..." He raised a hand to stop her.

"I'll see them again someday soon, I know it. But for now I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell them I'm here. Just for now?"

Pan reluctantly nodded, then something dawned on her, a nagging sensation that had been pulling at her since see sat down for ice-cream with him, "Your ki!" she blurted suddenly.

"My Wha?" he got this confused expression that made him look terribly adorable. She giggle at the cute expression, "It the energy signature that each individual has, it's how our families would locate each other, no matter where they were."

He nodded; He must have still known how to find ki's. It was the first thing I did when you disappeared, trying to find your ki signature. I just realized now that it's suppressed so low it blends it with human one, that so odd."

The confused look again, " Yours is or was one of the highest on the planet, it being this low technically should have killed you by now."

She frowned, and then shrugged "Oh well."

Trunks look at his watch, "It's getting late, we should get going. Do you want me to walk you home?" She laughed envisioning them walking all the way out to her parents house, she abruptly stopped seeing his confused face.

"That's sweet of you, but I'm suppose to go see my parents this weekend, they live really far out."

He stood up, "Okay then Panny, see you later." He walked off giving her one last wave as he exited the ice cream parlor.


	6. 5

AN: The more I read through this for errors the more I see how this story could've been sooo much better. But alas, this is my level of creativity from yonder days of yore (aka pre-TFR)

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Pan was lost in her thoughts as she watched the night sky fly by.

His touch had made her shudder, and it was so warm and comfortable when he'd held her...He's a lot different than before Pan thought as she flew threw the air in the direction of her father's house. Flying and being outside made her think a whole lot clearer than when inside, definitely a whole lot clearer then when she was around Trunks. Her brain picked at the small and large differences in his behavior, He was so much more polite, not that he wasn't anyways. Certainly not as arrogant...And he was shy too, I can't believe he blushed when the waitress came to take our order, then again she was staring at him like no tomorrow. Humph didn't her parents teach her not to stare.

You are such a hypocrite a voice told her, She blushed 

' Well I can't blame her to much she wasn't the only one doing a little staring.'

a little, huh?

'He just happens to be cute, so what I'm a normal girl, can't I look a little?'

Old friend or not, he also happens to be your friend's ex fiancé.

'She married, with children, though- I arrgh I'm doing nothing but arguing with my self! I have a case to finish come Monday. I need to concentrate on more important things!'

 Seeing her parents house beneath her she slowed and landed in front of it, knocking twice on the door.

Her mother greeted her, like she always did with a big smile and a warm hug. There was something special about coming home, knowing that someone who loved you would be there to greet you. Not like her apartment in the city in got lonely there, alone.

Her mother pulled her in, "Gohan! Pan's here! So how have you been?"

Videl asked steering her into the kitchen, dinner was almost ready her saiyajin nose could smelled it a mile away and boy, did it smell good! She smiled at her mother, " I've been holding up. I gets a little lonely out there every once in a while but other than that, I'm ok."

"Welll..."

Videl glance at the staircase, Gohan hadn't come down yet, then she smiled mischievously one could definitely see where Pan had gotten her from, "Isn't there someone in your life right now?" she whispered, as if she were heard she'd get in trouble

"Mom!"

"I'm just saying, I know this nice young man, a friend of mine's son, he is just so sweet and shy-"

Kind of like Trunks she thought idly, "Mom! I don't want you to set me up on any blind dates!"

"Oh but Pan-" Videl decided to stop teasing her daughter and went back to setting up the table with a small grin on her face. Gohan's footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs," Pan! How's my favorite daughter doing!" He asked giving her a bear hug.

"Daddy I'm you only daughter!"

"That makes you all the more special." He told her giving her a peck on the forehead. He stood back still smiling then he abruptly frowned sniffing the air around her.

"Daddy?" He frowned going into protective dad mode.

"Who's the guy? What's his name? And why haven't you introduce us to him yet? Are you hiding something from us?"

"Dad! I'm not hiding anything! Every time I go near a guy you think I'm hiding something!"

"Gohan! Pan!" Videl pointed to their seats, both meekly sat down.

"Gohan, Pan's old enough to make wise decisions about who she hangs out with." Videl turned to Pan, "Is this why you don't want to meet that nice young man I met? Why haven't you brought him over yet?"

Videl asked dishing out their food. "Yeah and why can I smell him on you!" Gohan queried, indignant.

Pan blushed, Think fast, think fast ummm, she looked over at Gohan who was staring at her, he'll catch me if I lie, "Well, I just met him recently. And today I was kind of depressed thinking a-about Trunks-" Gohan and Videl exchanged worried sympathetic looks "he took me out for ice-cream and we talked for awhile. I told him what happened and I- I got kind of upset, he gave me a friendly hug and that's it." That wasn't too far from the truth.  Gohan looked at her skeptically, "It probably wasn't so friendly." He grumbled between bites.

"Dad-"

"It's not that I don't trust you Pan, I just don't trust those young men! I was a young guy too you know, I know how they think. And they they're only thinking about two things.-"

"Oh? And what would that be?" Videl interrupted giving him a look, Pan chuckled seeing her father scratch his head nervously.

"T-that my wife and daughter are the most beautiful and strongest women on the planet." He smoothed over. Videl smiled.

"Anyway, why don't you bring him over so we can meet him ok sweaty."

"Aaw mom he's just a friend i don't like him like that!" Gohan looked slightly relived, and Videl let it side.

Toran flopped down in the his make shift bed on the couch, his thoughts on a certain dark hair, sad eyed, beauty. He absently moved a stray lock off hair from his face. He was at Tosei's house, since Matsuri had been given the spare bedroom, he was stuck with the couch, but it did bother him much. He looked forward to Monday, with the case he was working on he'd definitely see a lot more of Pan. Not in a hentai way(although he wouldn't mind that either... o)

He meant to ask her how she felt about he and Matsuri being her and her partner's new partners. But he kind of got distracted. If only he hadn't thought about kissing her, even if it was for only a fraction of a second, heck he shouldn't have hugged her!  Cause now he wanted to do it again and he wouldn't just think about kissing either. That thought cause a smirk to claim his lips. He blinked, shock at his risqué train of thought. 'what's up with you? You never act like this, or think like this for that matter.'

It wasn't just that she was attractive, but this feeling, just knowing she was different from any other girl he'd met or ever would meet. Okay so he couldn't remember any other girl besides Matsuri, but still!  Trying to rid himself of his current line of thought, he shut his eyes with a purpose and within minutes he was fast asleep.

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"What do you mean a funeral? He's not dead!"

"Pan honey, we understand your still upset about him being gone but,

"-You have to get over it sometime! He's been gone for five years Pan, your right, maybe he's not dead but if he weren't, wouldn't he have let us know by now, some how?"

"Pan you have to understand that he's not coming back ever-"

"Yes he will! He is not dead. Trunks will come back!" Pan said with extreme conviction. Having seen him with her own eye she felt it was only a matter of time before Trunks would regain his lost memories, being so close to home and all, and with her help he would soon return to everybody. Unfortunately her vehement statement only sounded like denial to their ears. She wilted, sick at heart under their disbelieving expression, "You don't believe me do you? I see." For once she didn't blow up at, instead she turned to go upstairs to her bedroom.

"Pan..." Gohan called, worried for his daughter.

"Goodnight, Dad, Mom."   she left without looking back.

As soon as she reached her room she changed into her pj's on slid into bed. She closed her eyes but found she couldn't sleep. Arrgh just when something good happens for a change something even worse follows it! I have to help Trunks regain his memories somehow before the funeral! '

Yeah and how are you suppose to do that? Huh? Whack him up side the head again? Asked a snide little voice.

'Hey, that's not a bad idea. Crude, but it could work.'

Pan! Shame on you!

'Alright, alright, maybe he might regain them by seeing something that was special to him or held sentimental value.'

That's more like it! Now I'm tired, go to sleep.

'Man you're bossy' Pan thought, but she was to tired to argue with herself so she closed her eyes, this time she found rest.

The rest of the weekend seemed to drag by much too slowly for Pan.

Her family carried on as if nothing had really happen, that eventually the each would see the other's point of view.

Sunday evening (after dinner of course), Pan stood at the porch ready to leave when the carefully avoided subject was broached by Gohan.

"The funerals' in four months, Pan." he told her quietly after giving her a hug.

"He not dead." she stated simply, Gohan sighed but didn't say anything. He turned and left leaving Videl out side to talk with his stubborn daughter.

"Pan, honey it's not healthy for you to force yourself to believe something that isn't true."

"But he isn't dead! Mom I swear it. I would know if he was!"

Her mother raised a suspicious eyebrow, "Oh, you would? Have you any proof he's actually alive." Pan's mouth opened and closed but nothing came out, she shook her head no. She did promise not to say anything, and she couldn't tell her parents caused they'd tell the Briefs in a flash.

No she had promised him she wouldn't tell.

Instead she diverted her gaze to the ground beneath her feet, which suddenly seemed very interesting.

"Pan, if you ever need to talk, we're here for you, OK?"

"Thanks, see you later mom."

When she arrived at her apartment in Satan city it was late, she had spent the majority of the evening flying around, just think mainly about Trunks. Just trying to get his memories back would be a challenged but now she had a time limit as well, four months would go by in a snap.

Pan took of her shoes and sat down on her couch, her place wasn't much to look at just the bare necessities, couch, table, chairs, two bedrooms,  the extra was for company just in case, most importantly the full refrigerator of course.

Pan was about to get a late night snack before heading to bed, but the phone rang. She answered half annoyed, wondering who would call at 10:30 at night.

"Hello?"

"Pan, where have you been? It's the chief. We have another disappearance, at 5th and Delaney."

"On my way."

CLICK

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

There is something just not right about being woken up from a good dream. When you wake up you realize that it was nothing more than a dream, and reality comes back to knock you up side your sleepy head. Just, wonderful.

That is how Toran felt, and by the look on her face he guessed Matsuri felt the same way.

He and Matsuri were waiting outside a house, on the front lawn, of the most recent victim. 'The Crew' was already about scurrying around busily checking for prints. The neighbors had called when they heard some sound noises coming from their usually quiet next-door neighbors.

It was quaint little neighborhood. Looked like something out of a picture, a perfect house, a perfect street, blah, blah, and blah.

Matsuri who was standing next to him, was growing restless, having been standing in the same spot for twenty minute, it was starting to get to her already grumpy nerves.

"How much longer are they going to take?" Matsuri tapped her foot impatiently, not liking the fact that she was just standing around like a spectator.

"Tosei called our new partners just after he got the news himself. I'm sure they'll be here soon." As soon as the words flew out of his lips a small air-car pulled up, parking next to the curb. The first person to step out of the vehicle was someone Toran hadn't met but had seen at the precinct the other day. The other was of course Pan.

Toran looked towards Pan, a flicker of sadness crossed her face but quickly disappeared, she scowled at him quizzically. He was confused, more so about the scowl than anything. He knew all too well why that pained look had been on her face. Would he see that look every time they saw each other? He could feel her hopes rise then fall.

"What are you to doing here?" Pan asked as soon as she was close enough to speak without yelling.

Before he could speak Matsuri blurted, "What do you mean what are we doing here? We're supposed to be here same as you." The green haired girl huffed indignantly.

Pan's confusion was visible. The man with Pan, tilted his head to the side, scratching his head, "Didn't you know, Pan? These are our new partners. Matsuri Otera and Toran."

She looked at them for confirmation, "I don't-

"Good, You're all here," The chief irrupted, walking up to their little group.

'He looks just like Seito, except with shorter hair.' Toran thought absently. When he and Matsuri had been discussing their living arrangement earlier he'd been wearing his uniform hat included, but now he could see they looked almost exactly a like. But Tosei was way more serious than Seito normally was.

Tosei continued, "You'll have to get to know each other some other time. Right now follow me."

The older man led the four of them inside the house.

Everything looked neat and orderly, except the living room.

There was what might have been considered a couch at a point in its existence; it was tore up beyond recognition, as were the two other love seats in the room.

The TV, vases, and coffee table were in smithereens. Long and short gashes cover just about everything, even the walls. Toran spotted two familiar looking marks on the wall and went over to them studying them with carefully.

"This place is worse than the other two." The dirty blonde man commented.

"The other two?" He heard Matsuri ask.

Pan explained, "Yeah. Of the eight, no, nine now, victims that have disappeared, only two have had any damage what so ever to the house. Its odd, the rest look as if they've never been touched, not even there families, who were in the same house at the time heard nothing until it was to late."

Oh I know what these are now! This is-

Toran was looking at the marks on the wall with such scrutiny; he didn't notice the chief behind him watching him.

"So you noticed it to, I thought it was just my old feeble mind playing tricks on me." His gray eye narrowed in thought.

"Hey Matsuri look at this!" Toran called drawing the attention of the other two, soon they were all crowded near the wall looking at two gashes on the wall. They were the only ones on that particular wall, making them stand out. The first one was long thin at the ends and thickening only slightly towards the middle, it was closer two the ceiling than the other shorter one.

Masturi looked at them and in a second knew what it was. Her eyes became serious and calculating.

Toran move so he was parallel to the wall, then bringing his hand together behind his head, he brought his arms forward in a downward swoop. He stopped abruptly, same place as the gash on the wall. Pan looked at him, as though he'd gone mad; not exactly the expression he would have wanted.

"What do you think?" he asked turning to Matsuri.

"I think the long one was made by a sword and the second one made by a knife or something smaller than the first."

The man who Toran had yet to learn his name shook his head, "That doesn't help too much," he began to some up the situation, "9 people abducted in the middle of the night, without a trace, the families of the victims, if any, don't hear a thing. Not even the dogs can pick up a trail, and all we know about the kidnapper is that he uses a sword, it makes sense though; a gun makes a lot of noise."

"Hey uum... Toran started not knowing the guys name.

"Gabriel. Just call me Gabe."  They briskly shook hands before getting back to business, "So only three victims put up a fight? Why didn't the others do so also."

The man, Gabe, touch the wall for a moment, "Families. We suspect that the victims that could have put up a fight didn't because the kidnapper might have threatened to harm their families."

They, Toran, Pan, Matsuri, Gabriel and Tosei continued searching the house for clues until way after midnight. Tosei called it quits before the night. They agreed to meet down at the precinct in the morning. It was frustrating for everybody Matsuri didn't even argue with him on the way home.

Toran was partly worried about Pan's reaction to finding out that he was her partner in this case. Judging by the look on her face nobody had in formed her, and she could a little upset. I'll talk to her tomorrow he thought with a yawn right now sleep was needed.


	7. 6

AN: Enjoy

Pan looked at the information on the missing people for the seventh billion times. Good thing it was Saturday she could stop wracking her brain for a bit while at her parent's house. They had invited her again, she didn't have the heart to say no. Although she suspected in was to keep her from going to search for Trunks like she normally did on weekends; well at least be before he came back that is. Trunks was...'Pan concentrate on your work first then you can daydream.'

Last night's kidnapping had shade some more light on the case. She cleared her desk and got out a fresh sheet of paper.

She started jotting down a list of similarities.

First things first, victims were all abducted at night. All have moved from the Blue Mountain Range in the last two decades. No signs of struggle in the houses of the missing persons with families present.... hmm there's got to be something else. Pan bit her lip, thinking hard. Wait!  The sword marks! Was that last victim the only one with experience sword fighting? Not that many city people know how to use those things; it would certainly narrow down the search for potential victims. The maybe we could catch this kidnapper in the act.

She got on the computer and ran a search for anybody who matched those specifications.

A list of names appeared on the screen.

Himeji Ram

Age: Unknown

Birthplace: Blue Mt R

Height: Unknown

Weight: 205lb

Occupation: Claims examiner

Cela Bryan

Age: 30

Birthplace: Blue Mt R

Height: 5"9"

Weight: 207

Occupation: Legal attorney

The list had ten to fifteen more names on it but only one caught her eye...

Tosei Otera

Age: Unknown

Birthplace: Blue Mt R

Height: Unknown

Weight: Unknown

Occupation: Law enforcement....

"So, they may come after Tosei too."

Pan whirled around, ready to fight, and found her brown eyes staring directly into Trunks' cool blue ones. He was right over her shoulder and she hadn't even heard him coming.

 "Ahh! Trunks don't scare me like that! Ever! I could of hurt you or something." She let out in one breath.

He looked at her with those calm eyes then did something that she hadn't seen since he'd came back. He smirked.

Not a friendly lopsided smile, mind you. It was borderline evil in description.

'If he wasn't Vegeta's son you'd think he was the devil himself. '

It made her feel a shiver run the length of her spine and back. Did he have to look so damn sexy too? If it wasn't a crime, it should be. He was wearing all black again, she noticed neither he nor Matsuri wore anything else but black, strange, but he certainly looked good in it.

"What are you smirking at?"  She asked a little nervous at his proximity, all she had to do was tilt her head up a bit....

"Would you like to spar sometime?" he asked, the cocky smirk on his growing wider. She shivered feeling his warm breathe on the back of her neck.

"Oh, so you do have that arrogant streak in you after all." She grinned up at him, "What makes you think you can beat me? I'm far stronger than you are."

"Now who's the cocky one?" he replied boldly, "Don't be so quick to judge an opponent. Besides, I enjoy a challenge." That evil little smirk of his turned back into the cute shy smile he normally gave her.

"How bout sometime this afternoon? If you up for, of course..." She challenged.

"I'm there."  He oozed confidence. Saiya-jin to the very last drop.

He absently moved a strand of lavender out of his face, "So are these potential victims?" He asked pointing at her research on the computer.

"That's right."

"Is there a certain order they're being kidnapped in?"

"Not one that I can see. They've been completely random; don't know who will be next. I can't believe Chief is potential victim."

'Come to think of it he's never spoken of his past, I didn't even know he had family till now. '

Maybe there was something in Tosei's past that could help.

"We need to talk to him ASAP. But first I want you to run a second search."  Pan wondered what he was on to. Intelligence ran in his family, she'd long figured out it was best not to second-guess a Brief unless it was in the gravity room.

"Use the same parameters as your first only narrow it down to those who had something to do with weapons, mainly swords or knives or other traditional weapons."

She typed in the specifications, shaving off about ten or so leave five or six. Tosei was still on it.

"Good idea, now why did I think of that?" She asked standing and stretching, "Where's Matsuri and Gabe?"

Trunks milled over to the door but didn't leave.

"They went to look at the older crime scenes, to look for anymore clues we may have missed."

"They seem to be getting along okay." she commented absently gathering some papers. I'll just have to drop these off on my way out  

"Pan?" He said quietly, running a hand through he lavender locks. She looked up a bit worried; Trunks had always called her Panny, even before he vanished. He was the only one who still called by that old nickname.

"I never got chance to ask you how you felt about us being partners." He said looking at the floor, "If I make you uncomfortable or anything-"

He was cut off when she gave him a friendly hug.

"Trunks you're so sweet," she laughed as he turn three shades of red,

"Even if you can't remember me, it's good to have you back alive and well. I've known you since before I could walk, and I've always felt comfortable around you. If anything I should be asking you if I make you uncomfortable." He shook his head, "I'm just glad we can still be friends, Trunks." She said sincerely, putting down the stack of papers she'd picked up to hug him. For a moment something unreadable crossed his face, then he smiled, blue eyes sparkling, "Toran."

"?"

"Toran. Call me Toran. I feel like I'm impersonating someone. I can just imagine the names I might have been called...

Pan smiled understandingly then grinned wickedly, "they weren't that bad, Underwear Boy." she winked, "Let's go. I need to drop these off with the secretary, and then we'll go see Tosei. Alright?"

"Sound like a plan to me." he opened her door and did a mock bow "Ladies first." he said adding a dramatic sweeping motion with his hand.

As luck would have Tosei had left just minute before they arrived at his office, said he had something to do.

"What do we do now?"

"I'm starving! Let go get something to eat!"

"Somehow I had a feeling you say that."

After eating lunch, they went for a walk in the park. The same one they'd met in almost a week early. It was a nice day blue skies, bright sun, but rain clouds could be seen in the distance. They walked in companionable silence; just enjoy the other's company.

"Trunks-I mean Toran, tell me, do you remember anything at all?" Pan asked him out of the blue.

"Yeah nothing more than a flash or two, nothing I could make sense of either." he remembered the time he had picked up the sword for the first time.  "Why do you want to know?" asked looking at her quizzically. She wasn't looking at him though she was looking at a small deserted playground they were passing. He had that feeling of deja vu, just looking at it.

She stopped walking. "Were you doing anything specific at the time you received these flashes?"

"Now that you mention it. Yeah." He remembered when Seito had first started to train him; he'd remembered exactly how to position himself.

"Some people when they lose their memories, they may never get it back but if you got some back then that means you can remember more. You just need something to trigger it."

In a second Pan had grabbed hold of his hand and began tugging him toward the playground. Toran held back startled by her gesture, her hand was tiny and warm. It felt strange and nice to hold.

"Come on Tr- Toran! I wanna see if I can help you bring back you memories!"

"You'd do that for me?" 'Why? Why do you want to help?'

"OF COURSE!!" she seem a little upset about that one but then shrugged. Pan stopped them in front of the playground; she waved her free hand at the empty playground.

"When we were little, we use to come here you, my uncle, your little sister and me, we'd come and play here.

Flash

"Come on Trunks! Push me on the merry-go-round, pleaeeeeeeeese." A blue haired girl asked, with an adorable pouting expression that only a five year old could pull off.

A considerably younger Trunks groaned, 'don't they ever run out of energy? We've been here for three hours.'

"Aaw, why can't you get Goten to do it?" whined to 11 year old. The pint-sized kid pulled on his leg, "Cause he said he pushed us on the swing so you have to push us on the merry-go-round!"

"Go tell him I said he should do the pushing and I'll do the pulling."

The girl seemed to deliberate for a moment before scampering off.

At the same time another little girl came up to him she looked like a mini Pan with short hair covered by and orange bandana.

"Trunks! Trunks!" she came barrel over to him nearly knocking him off his feet.

She jumped up and down excitedly, "Guess what! Guess what!"

"What is it, Panny?"

"I knocked out Goten!" she squealed with pride, an ear-to-ear smile on her face.

"No, you're kidding!" Trunks replied laughing, 'Man I'll never let him live this down, I can't believe he got knock out by little Pan, again!'

Unfortunately the 'little' Pan, thought the older boy was laughing at her.

"I did! I'm not kidding." She did an impression of the Vegeta Glare-O'-death. It looked incredibly cute on her, instead of making her out to be the tough warrior girl look she was trying to achieve. It made him laugh all the harder.

She looked really mad now, but he failed to see the danger, the look on her face, made it impossible to take her seriously.

He was laughing so hard, by then he could see the punch he had coming.

Flash

He came out of his trance. Toran looked around, they hadn't moved an inch.

 Pan was staring quizzically at him.

"Are you okay?" she asked tentatively. He blinked, that little girl had been the same woman that stood before him now. She was cute then, but now she was absolutely lovely. Her comforting hand was still incased in his own.

"You gave me a black eye!" he pouted indignantly crossing his arms.

Pan looked puzzled then she laughed, "You didn't take me seriously!"

"Humph!" was his only reply as he tried to unsuccessfully fight a smile off his face. "Your father was so upset that you were injured by a six year old girl, he made you train with him for a month." She reminisced with a laugh.

He couldn't keep his eyes off her. She was so happy, her smile was as brilliant; he wanted make her smile like this all the time.

She looked at him with those deep brown eyes, pools of chocolate like sirens they called. The smell of her shampoo and the fact that she was standing so close made him feel light head. He couldn't think straight near his Panny.

Her lips look as inviting as... He slowly leaned in toward her.

'So close...' he though, their lips hovered near each other, pausing for a second then-

"Mommy! Mommy!" Look what I can do!"

Some kid went running past the pair to show off his jungle gym skills to his mommy. The two stepped back a respectable distance away from each other. Toran didn't know whether to thank the stupid brat, or scream at him for interrupting the would-be-kiss. 

'Get a hold of yourself, Toran'

A moment of awkward silence ensued

"And you were his age when you punched me too." He commented dry glaring at the kid. Pan grinned at his indignation, breaking the awkwardness between them.

"How much do you remember now?"

"Not anything big just being here in this park with you, and another little girl; she had the strangest hair color too..."

"You should talk! Was it blue? Then it was probably your little sister Bra."

He made a face, "Does every one in my family have strangle hair?"

Pan nodded laughing at the face he made.

"Yup, it's either the color or the style." She stated as they began to leave the park

"Don't forget, you still owe me a spar!"

"Oh I haven't forgotten. I'll beat you, you know." She stated cheekily, ho snorted

 "I'll just have to give you another back eye to make you believe me."

"We'll see who gives who a black eye, I have a favor to return." he surprised a smirk. He didn't know where the sinister expression came from but it felt good. He shook his head the girl was driving him nuts.

"Aright you and me right now, follow me." A gleam of excited anticipation twinkled in her eyes. He looked for ward to fighting her in the same manner.

'Man what is wrong with you, one moment you want to kiss the living day lights out of her the next you want to try and punch her lights out.' 

Must be one of those alien things.

Pan led Toran to a secluded area of the park, still a bit wobbly from the near kiss. It was insane! She had felt her self lose all reason in a heartbeat, she couldn't think, couldn't focus; well not anything besides him. And he hadn't even kissed her; she'd probably turn into a puddle of goo at his feet if he did.

She wonder what would have happed if that kid hadn't interrupted.

She'd be a puddle of goo right now.

An incredibly happy puddle at that.

But should she really be thinking of him this way? What if-? Trunks interrupted her wandering mind.

"We're going to fight here?" Trunks asked looking at the trees and flowers surrounding them.

"No silly, it's too nice here. I came here so we could fly without being seen taking off."

"Fly??"

Oh shoot I completely forgot to ask if he could fly. He must not remember how. How am I...?

"Never mind then just grab on to me and hold on tight!"

She landed in the forest a few miles out of the city, with very dazed, wide-eyed Trunks.

"That was... awesome." he commented for lack of a better word.

Toran let go his legs a bit shaky from the experience.

"I'll teach you, if you don't' remember first." she offered letting go of him. She shivered from the sudden lack of body heat, it had been nice him holding onto her the way there.

Despite herself she took off her brown jacket leave her in just her red t-shirt and blue jeans. It wasn't her fighting gi but she could still kick his but in her attire.

 Toran like wise removed his jacket setting it next to hers

His black t-shirt had no sleeves and she could she he hadn't been slacking in his training with the chief's brother. His muscles moved like liquid steel as he began to stretch. Pan followed his example prepping her muscles I'll really have too watch my strength; I don't want to hurt him.

"Ready?" she asked not bothering to get into a stance; she wouldn't need to.

He looked at her cocky manner and smirked, "You bet."

It was the only thing she heard before she felt something whiz by her. A sting began to manifest itself in her arm. She looked down at it; a small impossibly thin line of blood began to trickle from a fresh cut. Nothing serious or deep it would be gone by morning but that wasn't what she was mad about, ' How did he do it, I'll get him soon enough." She didn't see him anywhere.

"Don't underestimate me Panny," he said in a low voice, a near whisper, right in her ear. She spun around to see him wear a smug look on his face. He was holding a sword in his hand, she hadn't known he'd even had one, nor had she heard him move.

She realized it must have taken a lot of skill for him to give her some thing as small as a paper cut and not really hurt her and fast too!

It was unsettling for Pan.

How'd he get so fast? I've got to really watch him. Well at least I'll get a challenge.'  She thought as she charged at him. He nimbly dodged her advances, watching her every move. He suddenly stopped his defense and attacked her with vicious offense with his blade. She was hard pressed dodging his strikes, although it was thin and he only made small cuts, the size of paper cuts really, but they were very painful; her arm could attest to that.

He cornered her against a tree bringing his sword down in a powerful arc. She rolled at the last second, watching in awe as the tree spilt cleanly and completely in half and began to fall in two opposite directions. Bring her focus back to Trunks she punched him in the chest sending him flying into another tree.

She grinned wildly as he got back on his feet, a smirk on his face.

His blue eyes held a wicked, attractive gleam that she'd never seen him with before, as she matched his gaze not backing down from his silent challenge.

She rose her ki a bit more, "Your better than I thought. But don't get cocky."

Toran merely kept his smirk in place. They watched each other for a moment waiting for the other to make a move. Pan moved first, phasing out, and then back again behind him, delivering a 'light' blow to his side sending him into another tree. She made a note to not hit head lest she cause further damage.

Back at the tree

Toran was on his feet again, ignoring the pain in his side.

He looked up in time to see Pan ready to charge him again he dodged throwing a small round ball on the ground. Upon impact it cause a quick bright flash of light.

Pan shielded her eyes, Toran use the distraction to leap into the trees. He stayed silent as she recovered. He stayed motionless and silent as she eyed her near by surroundings looking around for him. He waited for her to turn around.

There was something really exhilarating about the whole thing much more exciting then training with Matsuri or Seito, perhaps it was because his opponent was a lot stronger than him; perhaps.

Whatever it was made his blood sing with anticipation as he waited for the dark haired beauty to turn away from the tree he was in.

Finally Pan moved and he pounced, rendering her helpless beneath him, or so he thought.

"I got you Panny" he purred a smug look on his face, her dark eyes flashed with indignation, "Not for long." with that she proceeded to throw him off her and pick her self back up.

They were at a stand off again. Challenging the other, blood racing.

Toran had never felt so alive. He smirked. He was definitely enjoying this. And by the wicked grin on her face, Pan was too.

Their match had lasted for a couple hours till the sun began to set.

It was very interesting to say the least.

Toran had million tricks up his sleeve, and he was fast too fast for her, but she had strength and stamina.

They ended with a draw, several scratches, a few smashed and leveled trees and a black eye for each of them.

Pan landed, with Trunks in arms, a little ways from Tosei's house.

They walked up the driveway and stopped at the door.

"That was fun Toran we'll have to do it again, maybe you can teach me a trick or two."

"Only if you promise to teach me how to get so strong," he said with a smile his shyness returning.

It was so strange he was the sweetest guy one moment but when he was fighting he was like a demon, or Vegeta spawn. Eerie.

"Your on." she turned to him conscious of how close they were.

"See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah..Tomorrow..."

 Pan made the mistake of looking into his transfixing blue eyes, her feet seemed rooted to the ground. She felt her heart quicken and her mind slow to a halt. Boldly but shakily Toran moved closer to her. She felt drawn to him just like in the park she was powerless against him. She felt his hand caress her cheek gently, before tilting her head up at him, as he leaned down to cover her lips.

It was like bliss. His lips shyly brushing hers, making them tingle from the feel of it. Unsure of her response he began to back away.

Not wanting it to end she kissed back harder, unconsciously wrapping her arms around his neck, as his arms went around her waist, molding her body to his.

Her head was spinning and she couldn't concentrate on anything but him. His lips. His body. His touch. His taste. His smell. She leaned heavily into him feeling his tongue tease hers. His hands caressed the bare skin of her back beneath the edge of her shirt, setting her skin ablaze with the tantalizing trail left by his fingers.

They both ended the kiss at the same time, both red and breathless.

She smiled up at him, "Tomorrow?" she asked shyer the normal.

"Tomorrow." he confirmed not bothering to hide the dazed and stupid grin smacked on his face.

She turned to leave then turned back, quickly stealing a quick kiss before taking off right there, not caring if anyone saw, she was too giddy.


	8. 7

AN:Enjoy.

.

.

.

Toran entered the house on cloud nine. All he could think of was his Panny and the kiss; it was wonderful she had kissed back! And she smiled! He wanted hold her again. That tease of a kiss she'd left him with only made him want to kiss her some more.

"I'm home! Is anybody in?"

Matsuri poked her head out of the kitchen, pot in hand preparing dinner, "What happen to you?" She commented stirring the pots contents, "You're a mess, look at you your bleeding." she scrunched her nose, "And you stink too."

"Me and Panny went sparring." he smiled, he began heading into the kitchen, sparring made one very hungry. Matsuri halted him waving her spoon threateningly.

"Don't you even think of coming in here till you take shower and get some Ice on that eye... Hey are you listening to me?"

"Huh?"

"Arrgh you're hopeless," she steered him out of the kitchen, "Don't come back till you smell better. Man, has he got it bad." She shook her head. Normal guys did movies and dinner, leave It to Toran to go sparring as a first date, "What ever floats your boat." she muttered turning back to the stove.

"What the heck happen to you?" asked her very surprised uncle as he opened the door.

"Hey, Goten what are you doing here?" she'd been expecting her parents.

"Can't your uncle visit his dear brother and family?" he said giving her a innocent Son smile. "You didn't answer my question." she opened her mouth but her mother came to the door behind Goten.

"Goten let her in. What are you doing just standing in the door like that? Pan!" Videl did a double take, she sighed, "and you're going to explain while I put some ice on that eye. Come on let's get you cleaned up."

Videl sat her down on the couch pressing and Ice pack on her semi swelled eye.

"Where's dad?" She asked as Goten went to go get a first aid kit. It be much easier to tell her mom alone then with her dad present.

"Pan?!" well that answers my question...

Gohan sat down across from the two women as Goten reentered the room kit In hand.

"She was just about to tell us what happened. Right?" her mother prompted.

She blushed; did they all have to be there? Why not just invite the briefs and Grandma Chichi and Grandpa Satan too.

"I was sparring."

"And you gave yourself a black eye?" her father asked skeptically.

"No! Ah... You know that guy I mentioned last time I was here; well he and I went sparring this afternoon. I should've gone home first to clean up I forgot; but it's nothing major."

Goten laughed at her good-naturedly, teasing her a bit,

"Who could make sweet little Pan forget something like that? Or better yet; what'd he do to make her forget?" She glared at her uncle, trying to cover the blush rising to her cheeks. Gohan frowned. "Still he shouldn't have given you a black eye..."

"Gohan, don't go over and try and beat the guy up. I think It's sweet she's found someone to have a good time with. You should invite him over some time." Videl suggested.

"Sure maybe some time, he's one of my partners on the case I'm working on."

"So you see him often?" her mom giggled, seeing her daughter so flushed on the subject.

Videl couldn't remember anyone ever doing that to her daughter, unfortunately neither did Gohan and he wasn't as forthcoming as his wife. Not when he could smell who ever it was on her. A poignant spicy scent. All right, so they had been sparring but still... He would have to check the guy of her affections later, whenever she brought him over, for dinner.

He'd make sure that was very soon.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

After dinner, much teasing from Goten and her mother and many meditating murder expressions from Gohan, Pan finally retreated to her room.

They'd kept it the exact same way it was before she'd had left for college. She even had a set of clothes there for times when she came over. She sat down on her bed smoothing out the warm blue comforter that was spread over it.

He was an amazing kisser, it was sweet and shy, not rough like other times she'd been kissed. She blushed just thinking about it, ' Man I can't even think about him with out turning red.' She'd enjoyed his arms whe wrapped around her. She had felt as if the world didn't exist anymore, in that moment.

She sighed, 'And now my parents wanted to meet him. Great why couldn't I just lie?!"

Cause they see right through it anyway

'Would you quit nagging me? How am I supposed to get out of this one? I can't just say, here my new boyfriend, Trunks, you remember him right, the one they're holding a funeral for in less than four months. Marron's ex fi-' Pan slapped her forehead,

"Holy crap! I forgot about her! She's supposed to come by in two weeks to visit! I hope won't she see him while she visiting."

'How is she going to feel about all this?'

If it's any constellation Trunks said he didn't want to meet anybody until he regain his memories. Remember?

'Oh yeah that's right so you can be of some help. So I won't have to worry about it until then, but...'

But? but is never a good sign.

'But what if regains his memories and decides to be friends again? Or if he still loves Marron? Am I taking advantage of the fact that he has no memory of his past?'

There was no answer from the voice, only silence. Pan sighed slipping into her nightie. Just when things get good something bad was sure to follow. A small feeling of guilt began to gnaw at the back of Pan's mind sow the seeds of doubt even as she drifted into the lad of nod.

Monday at the station. Toran mood was considerably worse then it had been at the start of the weekend. He may have been wandering around like a love struck idiot but that didn't mean he made people listen to him, unlike some people. Matsuri had force him to listen till his ear began to bleed then made him cook his own meals for the rest of the weekend, on the account that 'he wasn't paying any attention.' There was only so much he wanted to hear about Gabe.

Right now he wanted to see Pan, badly, but he still had a few papers to go through, mainly on his case. Observation he had made at the victim's house. Toran sat at his temporary desk, wondering if there wasn't something he was missing about the whole thing, some big clue he and the others had failed to see,

I still need to talk to Tosei

Unlike Seito, Tosei was very serious and dedicated to his work. Their case wasn't the only one to be handled at the moment so he was busy handling other smaller ones all weekend.

"Hey Toran what ya doing?" Toran turned around to see Gabe waving gingerly at him. The man was a little taller then him with curly dirty blonde hair and trusting brown eyes. He had an easygoing aura about him that followed him where he went.

"What happen to your eye? Nevermind. I have a feeling I don't want to know."

"I was thinking, about what we could have over looked."

Gabe nodded, "Yeah me and Matsuri went to look at the other two houses that were damaged. They both had some of those marks, like the ones on the wall, or similar ones. Anyways, she told me to tell you that one of them reminded her of the Toran and the Saiga. Have any idea what she's talking about?"

"Yeah it's a sword that belonged to my Sensei's father, it was stolen a long time ago. I'm not quite sure what the Saiga is though."

Gabe smiled and shrugged, "Oh well, I'll take to her about it." Toran saw Gabe's eye flicker behind him then suppress another smile.

Toran 'felt' someone walk up behind him. He turned to find Pan tring to sneak up on him. She grinned impishly, snapping her fingers

"Darn! so close."

"You'll have to be quicker than that, Panny." he teased

She was beautiful, even in jeans and an ordinary T-shirt, identical black eye and all.

"You just got lucky that's all."

"I'll say." He agreed, he had to be lucky to meet someone her.

Gabe looked back and forth between the two, "Toran, what have you done to her?" he asked teasingly, "I haven't seen her smile this much since she joined us 5 years ago. Is that a hint of a red on her cheeks and oh my! It's not out of anger?" He looked at Toran with mock seriousness, "I don't think we can handle this sudden change. Are you sure you're the real Pan Son?"

Pan swatted at him playfully, "GABE!"

"Alright! Alright, I can see you want to be left alone..." he chuckled backing off, "See you two later I got to go find Matsuri, and see what she's doing."

"Later! So how was your weekend?" Pan asked pulling up a chair next to him. Her eye bright and sunny as was her smile.

"Well it wasn't that great...

"Oh why so?" she asked innocently pouting slightly, not knowing just how tempting it made her look, he wanted to kiss her right then and there.

"You weren't in it." he blurted. He blushed, "I mean- I..." she had a faint blush across her cheeks as well. "Mine wasn't so hot either, I'll tell you about it later though, we still need to talk to Chief. He's in his office right now." she suggested

"Alright give me five minutes to wrap this up."

"Sure thing."

The two entered the chief's office together. Tosei looked up from under this hat, "Can I help you? Have you found anything?"

"Yeah we ran a search the other day for people who match the one who had been kidnapped and your one of them." Pan said bluntly.

She wasn't one to pussy foot around, he gathered.

Tosei scratched his leathery face, "Me?" Toran nodded, "Yes sir. We were wondering if you could tell us a bit about your past to help out."

"Of course"

Tosei told them that he'd grown up in a tiny village in the Blue Mountains with his father, mother, older sister and twin brother Seito. He and his brother had been trained in the art of the Shadow.

To walk, move and become like a shadow. Quick, silent and deadly. They had been very peaceful until his father's sword, the Toran had been stolen, there father had gone after the thief and never returned. Their mother died of grief shortly after.

He and his brother had left their village to find their father.

They'd searched for him all through the mountain range finding no trace of him, they'd come here, to the city in search of him.

Finally giving up, they both had settled down Seito had returned to the mountains while Tosei stayed in Sataan city.

When Tosei had finished the story Toran asked about the Saiga.

The chief was moderately shock when he asked, but answered anyway.

The Saiga and Toran where twin swords the same in every way, both had been named after great warriors of the past. Their blades were the sharpest ever made they were only a molecule thick, able to cut through anything even the strongest metals.

"Even you Pan, might not be able to stand up to them. " the old man commented. Toran looked at her, she gave him a 'I'll tell you later' look.

The swords were created, Tosei continued, by the village's only scientist, the old man had disappeared years before the thief had taken place. He had taken the Saiga with him intrusting his father with the Toran.

"It was rumored that the thief who had stolen our father's sword had had the Saiga, but no one knows for certain. That all I know, dose that help any?"

"Let's hope so."

"Well as for the people who are potential victims of the kidnapper, I'll have some undercover surveillance put around their homes. As for myself I put some cameras around the place this evening I want you and Matsuri to pack your stuff and be ready to move elsewhere just incase."

"But sir-"

"I don't want to hear it, I'm sure Matsuri will burn me at the stake for it already," he shook his head, "That girl's got her mother's temper, she's such a loud cannon sometime." he commented to himself.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to see if I can get a hold of some hidden cameras. Good day two you." he stood and briskly left the room leave Toran and Pan in silence.

"What do we do now?"

"As much as I hate to admit it there is nothing we can do till something happens, this time we'll be able to see who's doing this and put a stop to it."

"So what do you want to do now?"

"Wanna get something to eat?"

"You read my mind."

Matsuri rolled her eyes hearing the last part of the pairs conversation. That girl's perfect for him with that kind of appetite. I can't imagine how much their kids would eat.

"You're not jealous are you?"

Matsuri scoffed at the suggestion," Of those two? Not likely. I pity the unsuspecting businesses they're about to eat out."

"Well you don't sound that way."

Matsuri began walking away he followed,

"You never answered me."

"It wasn't a question. Quit following me!"

"I'm curious... and persistent.

"If you must know we were sent here to learn to work as a team. Not gallivanting around town."

"Toran is learning to work as a team. A different kind of team...

"Oh? Is that so. Enlighten me." Gabe's eyes gleamed devilishly.

"How 'bout I enlighten you over some lunch as well."


	9. 8

Over the next couple of weeks nothing happpen there had been no more recent kidnapping. The trail went completely cold, as if the kinnapper had known they were on to him. Still they were patient and kept survalence up and hidden carmeras on at night just in case. Even though they hadden't rexaled yet on the job, off duty Pan was trying her best to help the lavender haired saiya-jin gain his memories, unfortunatly his progress was slow and he only regained small bits and pieces nothing big or meaning full except he remembered how to fly in one of their sparring matches.

Pan had less than three months now to get Trunks to regain a large portion of his past and family before the funeral took place, and she was getting  alittle desperate worried that he would remember in time. Toran sensed this urgentcy about her and obligde to her help.

Spending more time with each other was an added bonus.

Toran followed Pan down the busy streets of downtown Sataan they'd just finished off most of the pizza at Jim's Jombo Pizza Pizzeria and he was now following Pan some where  she said it was a surprise.

He kept up with her as best he could, but it was difficult. He could never get over how big the city seemed.

He didn't remember being in this city and after being in the mountains for so long it was fasinating, everybody was so busy and seemed to be in such a rush to go somewhere. Tall buildings the reached to the sky, cars and noise every where; that was starting to hurt his ears a little. He looked up in the distant skyline he could see a building, it looked so familiar, like a word on the tip of your tongue that you can't get out.

He slowed to look but Pan took his hand, and he forgot about it.

"Come on Toran! I promise I'll take you site seeing another time, but this is really important." she said  pulling him along he smiled at her he didn't mind being pulled along behind her. Everything on her was nice including the siren like sway of her hypnotic hips. her hair was just as tempting he wanted to run his hands through it. He shook himself trying to focus on something besides Pan.

It didn't work.

She drives me crazy with out even relizeing it. I'd be in real trouble if she ever decided to put some thought in it.' he groan mentally.

The arrive at a small apartment complex takeing an elevator to the top floor she walked down the hall and stopped at door 507.

This must be hers.

He was proven correct as she took out her keys and unlock the door.

"Come on in, make you self at home. I'll be right back." she told him before scampering off.

It was a modest little place, the living and kitchen were in the same large room hhe'd stepped into only marked off by the difference in floors, tiles for the kitchen, carpet for the living room, which was ocupaided by a small couch and a loveseat and a fireplace. in the kitchen there was a table and a few chairs. He could see a the edge of the hall Pan had dissappeared down, figuring that was where her room was. He decided to sit down on the couch as he waited for her, as soon as he sat down he the phone began to ring. Once. Twice.

Toran debated over wheather or not he should answer it or let it ring, obviously Pan couldn't hear in the back. It wasn't really

After the six ring he decide to pick it up.

"Hello?"

"..."

"Hello? Is anybody there?"

"Who are you?" came a very angery, very male voice. Whoever it was hadn't been expecting anyone but Pan to answer, and they where mad about it. Vaguely Toran hoped it wasn't some jealous ex boyfriend

"And what are you doing in my daughter's apartment?" the voice demanded. Well that rules out the angry ex boyfriend theory. Instead he got the irate over protective father, even worse.

"Ahh.. I-"

"Where's Pan? If you've even touched a hair on her head, I swear I'll break your neck!!"

The blood in Toran's face drain quickly, the man sounded quite serious and from Pan he knew that her father could do that with out any trouble. Luckly Pan came back in the room, she saw his pale face and save him from her wrathful father. She took the phone from him,"Hello?"

"Dad! What did you say to him!!?.....That's not important....No...Yes Dad...

Toran watched her expression go from expression go from angery to shocked and then angery again there was a long pause.

"Hi mom, thanks....Yes....I'll be sure and tell him... Her face suddenly went bright red....MOTHER!! I'll talk to you later. And tell Goten to quit ease dropping!"

She  put down the phone and took a deep breath to calm herself, her face still flushed.

"I am so sorry about that." she said apolgetically still embarressed.

He smiled and shook his head, "It's okay Pan." he said wrapping his arms around her waist bring her close. She rested her chin on his chest so she was looking up at him, a scowl set on her face,"No it's not I can't believe he actually threatened you like that."

"I can, if I had a beautiful daughter like you, I would be worried too."

Pan turned red suddenly and pulled away. "Let's sit this could take a while."  What was that about? When they were situated on the couch he asked, "What did your mother say?" Pan turn bright red again, "She said hi and that she wants to meet you." He could tell she hadn't told him ever thing by her embaressed figeting.

"And?"

"And she said she dosen't mind if you stay here, she wants lots of grand babies but only after the wedding."  Pan blurted out in a rush, he felt himself turn red as well

"That was...nice...I think." he chukled not knowing how to handle that one. Pan's parent were complete opposite on that subject her mother was practically giving him premission to... to... He fought off another blush. They hadn't even broached that subject yet, as attractive as Pan was, he wasn't about to rush her into anything. He loved her too much.

He coughed and cleared his throat, "So what's in the book?"

"It's a photo album." She said putting the large book on both their laps. They sat there for quiet some time she pointed out people names and places until she got tired. She rested her head comfortably on his shoulder and watched him flip through the book on his own.

"Any time your ready to see them I'll be right there with 100%"

He nodded. Pan had never forcfully insisted he visit his family, but recently it had become more urgent. It was bothering her at first he'd wondered why, but that phone call had just given him a jolt. Perhaps hiding thier growing relationship was what bothered her.

"Pan?"

"Hmm?"

"We'll go tommorow." She looked up at him and blinked suprised, eyes wide.

"Really?" He smiled for her, "Yes, really."

"What made you decide."

"You. You were right you know I shouldn't keep myself away just becuse I don't think I'm ready. I want to meet them.... But I don't want them to be sad, like you were sometimes...

"Me?"

"Yeah I hated that sadness about...whenever you smiled to cover it up...

You're not sad anymore you're back and we have new memories together. I entend to doo the same for my family."

He began flipping through the album.

These places and faces all of them seemed so familiar some more than others, like the building he saw earlier they were just out of his reach but he could feel them there. He got to the end of the book, fustrated, wondering why he even bothered everything was always just out of his reach. It seemed as though his memories would never come back so why try? He heard a small whimper from Pan as he shut the book. He looked down at her, she was fast asleep snuggled up against him. Her beautiful face calm and at peace. Toran smiled to himself, happy she trusted him like that. This is why I try, she's the reason I go on. If it weren't for you ...  he kissed her forehead and smiled as she breathed his name. He put his head back on the couch. Yes, that was a good reason not to stop, for her sake he wouldn't.

She felt so at peace an content by Trunks' side. They sitting under the shade of a beautiful oak tree it was a magnificent day, no worries or cares, no case, just the two of them and a picinic basket.

He whispered sweet word in her ear as he began to pepper light kisses on her neck and shoulder. "I love you..." she told him quietly. He stopped his ministration and smiled up her, "Now I remember everything Panny."

"Really?" she answered happy for him.

"Yeah I do." he said standing up, pulling her up with him, "And now that I remember I want us to be friends." he told her still smiling.

"What?" She felt like he'd hadripped out her heart.

"Just friends, only friends, will still see each other around. I'll even invite you to my wedding." he said good naturedly even as tears streamed down her face.

"Your a nice girl Pan, but now that I remember Marron I can't love you anymore because I'm still in love with her."

Her lips wouldn't move, she couldn't speak, couldn't move only her tears moved.

She watched as Marron jogged up to them.

"Trunks! There you are! I've been waiting for you." the blond said smileing at him lovingly, before they shared a passionate kiss.

They stopped, an Marron turned to her, "Thank you Pan for restoring his memories, I'll take good care of him for you." They began to leave Pan wanted to stop them to chase them but she was rooted to the ground "Good bye Pan, make sure you come by and see our wedding." The blonde waved back at her cheerfully.

"Thanks Pan, see you later!" Trunks waved, and she could only watch as she as they walked off into the distance hand in hand as blissfull as she had been moments ago. The birds still twitered happily and the smell of flowers still came on a gentle breeze. But it didn't reaach her only emptyness.

She felt numb and pain at the same time. She fell to her knees sobbing, clutching the ground in her hand trying to stop the pain. He had left her again.... Alone. All alone again.

Toran awakened to darkness around him and a dampness on his chest. He look around, "Where? Oh yeah." 

Remembering where he was looked down to see what was the cause of his sudden awakening. It was Pan, she was still asleep but tears were streaming down her face, one hand  gripped his shirt ferciously. She must be dreaming... His heart ached to she her like that, so sad. He'd hated it when ever she was sad, ironic though since he seemed to always be the source. Like when they first met, he'd never seen her cry since, not even when they fought til they were all busted and brused up she didn't cry.

He nudged her, gently wiping her tears away, caressing her face

"Panny wake up, wake up Panny I can't stand to see you cry." He murrmered kissing her cheeks, wondering what could make his strong Panny cry in her sleep

"Come on Panny show me those pretty brown eyes of yours." she whimper slightly as she awoke.

"T-Trunks?"

"I'm right here." he soothed rubbing her back, letting her calm down abit first.

"Panny tell me what happened."  She was relucutant at first but with some coaxing she opened up.

"You got your memories back." He blinked in the darkness, didn't expect that one.

"And wanted us to be friends. Just friends. I dreamed you left me again but this time for- she started crying slightly again.

"Panny I'm not going to leave you, if getting them back means losing you then I won't-

"No!" she interrupted him vehemently, "Your family deserves to have you back more than anything the world and your friends too. They're loseing hope Trunks. They're even planning to have your funeral! It' be selfish of me to keep you to myself just because I might not be happy in the end. No. Not to them. Not to you." She said fercily the finallity in her voice absolte.

She would do that? She would risk her own happyness for the sake of others? For his own? Admiration for her determination and selflessness swelled. Once again he was the suorce of her sadness, he wanted to, needed to make her happy.

"Panny nothing will change the way I feel about you. I care too much about you Panny and I won't leave you." he admitted.

I love you,  so much .

"Do you mean that?"

"Yes!"

"You had better," she warned threatening, but he could hear the smile in her voice, "Cause I care about you too." He could feel himself grinning in the darkness like a cheshire cat,  it was an unexplainable feeling kin to giddyness.

"Would you quit grinning over there and kiss me already?"

Pan demanded, one simple request, one he was happy to oblige over and over and over...He loved the her small frame felt against his, the way she playful nibbled ears. He shiver feeling her hands  sliding up his shirt. Every thing she did made him burn more deeply for her.

And the worst part of she was complete oblivious to most of it. It sacred him sometimes how she could affect him in such away, even if she was doing something small like reading a book, giving her case report or kissing him.

Even now the the slightest of moans being emitted from her, made him desire her even more bring himself to the edge of his self control. The feel of her soft chest pressing on him  was driving nuts.

He felt her move, swinging a leg over his lap, pulling him closer.

"Pan..." he could finish the protest he'd been about to make, they should stop, now. But...It was so hard to consentrate... very hard...

"Yes..." she half answered languidly. Her hands were like sweet torture; everywhere at once.

"I....We...have to-   He was interuppted again by another passionate kiss. He caress her face before sliding his hands down to her waist feel her musclar stomach, he felt her shake for moment. He puased thinking she was crying again, but then smirked when he relized Pan was quite ticklish. It was enough to break to the moment if only for a minute.

"Pan we need to stop now." he said sternly resting his forehead on hers.

"I know." was her breathless reply. He needed to get some distance between them, she was too close, almost straddling him; he was already restraining himself as it was.

"So do you want to stay here or go to my room?" she purred innocently.

"Tempting. I wouldn't be able to keep my hand off you."

"Who said I wanted you to?"

"Panny." he  half whined, half groaned in the darkness trying to get those thoughts out of his head. 'Minx,' his minx, but a minx none the less.

"Ok ok, get some rest. Do you need a blanket or a pillow or anything?"

"No, aren't I hot enough?" She smacked him lightly on the arm, "Ha ha very funny, mister. Goodnight Toran." He felt the absense of bodyheat as she moved away, leaving him alone in the room.

"Good night Panny"

Pan snuggled deeper into her cover, irratated by some noises coming from the kitched. She was haveing the most lovely dream...but the smell of food called to her something no saiya-jin can resist. Pan streched and yanwed sitting up in bed.  Probably mom cooking breakfast... she thought sleepyly rolling out of bed heading straight to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face.

As she finished her daily morning ritual she looked at  the ripped curtian in her shower, 'I really need to fix that. Wait this is my place who's-'

The memory of last night came back to her now wide awake self; Pan smiled happy at the thought of him, Trunks.  Then she frowned slighty, and she had also lost control of herself, ' I can't do that again, if he hadn't stopped us there's no tell what the consecuense may have been.'  Pan would have liked to stay in her room and think a bit more but the smell of food was too mouthwatering; her stomach growled loudly in agreement.

Tip-toeing into the kitchen as quietly as she could, she grinned at the sight.

Toran was preparing a meal fit for a king or two saiya-jin. She didn't know what he had made but what ever it was smell delious. He looked so serious like he did when sparring; a look of full concentration on his handsome face the entire time as he diligently set the table and served the food.

"I hope she'll like it..." Toran said to himself with a hopeful smile

"Oh I bet I will, It smells wonderful!" He nearly jumped his blues wide, a hint of red spreding across the bridge of his nose.

"Panny! How long have you been there!?" She smiled not answering the question,"I didn't know you could cook."

He shrugged, not really knowing what to say; he pulled out a chair for her and pushing her in,"It was part of my training. I think my sensei was tring to prevent me and Matsuri from fighting."

"Did it work?"

"Yes and no, we never fight, but we always compete with each other."

Her took a bite of her food, "Toran this is delious!! What is it?"

He beamed with pride, "I'm glad you like it, it's  a secret recipie." he said proudly, seeing her wolf down the rest of what was on her plate and move for seconds, "Hey slow down! I want some too!!"

"Come on, slow poke."

"Slow poke!? I'll show you slow next time we spar!" he huffed indignantly, as he too began to chow down.

After  breakfast, they began talking been talking  about the current situation with the dissappearances, which had been nothing for quite some time now, it made Pan edgy  thinking about it. Somthing should have hapened by now. She had the feeling somthing bad would happen.

"It doesn't feel right."

"It doesn't?"

"No. I feel like I should be doing something too."

"Well, there isn't much you can do, Panny. Not until the kidnapper strikes again."

"It's still too quiet."

"I like your pj's Panny." Trunks commented out of the blue, while running his fingers through her hair. She blushed, she was in her extra large t-shirt with cute puffy cloud all over and some shorts covered with fluffy bunnies.  They were sitting on the couch (again, oh my). Pan was leaning against him, his arms wrapped around her, thier feet intertwined, rubbing agaist the other's. ( that really is a nice feeling ) "It's cute." he chukled, "You don't strike me as the type to wear 'cute'  stuff to bed."

 "Is that so..." she answerd partly, haveing his hand in her hair was so relaxing, he felt like a big teddy bear...She liked it when he got shy, he was so hot when he wasn't thinking bout being shy, but that shyness made him completely irresistable. Unfortunatly Toran didn't know that.

"What type do you think I am?"

He shrugged "Nothing... I'm mean not-not...

"Naughty." she grinned twisting his words. He turned red a shook his head. 

"I didn't mean it like that ... " he blushed and chukled nervously.  He didn't miss the triumphant little smile Pan had barely concealed. That little minx! She did that on purpose!  He pouted thinking of ways to some how get her back. He smirked to himself... that balconey didn't look too big. They would have to stand quiet close...

Down stairs

Marron felt bad for not coming to see Pan earlier. Unfortunatly her daughter Nueces had come down with a really bad flu case, and had to be taken to the hospital.  Marron hadn't even called to tell her she wasn't coming or apolgized afterwards; it had completely slipped her mind get Nueces to recoperated and all.

So, Marron decided to surprise Pan.

She was even bearing tokens of apologise, Pan's favorite chocolates!

Marron smiled to her herself on the elevator ride up, 'I can't wait to see the look on her face, that girls been so depressed since, Trunks left...' The smile on her face faded a bit, it hurt to remember him, her first love. Make no mistake Marron was happy with her life now, with her daughter, and wonderful caring husband. But even now five going on six years after Trunks mysterious departure, the scars were still healing. 

Marron snapped out of her thoughts as the elevator signaled her stop.

'Let's see...501...503...505.... here we are apartment 507.'

Marron striaghtened her ankle lenght baby blue sun dress and raised her hand to knock. 'Wait even better if I surprised her.... Marron thought grinning to herself she remembered Pan always kept a sparekey under her doormat.

"Hey! Panny guess who?" She called cheerfully. No answer only silence....

'Maybe she's not here...but it noon on a Saturday and Pan loves to sleep in on weekends. Oh well, I'll stop by later. Hey what's that?'

A slight movement caught her eye. Her friend was actually kissing a guy out on her balcony, he looked familiar... but Marron could only see his back then the turned ever so slightly. Marrons blue eyes widen, shocked.

Pan was here alright. And she definatly wasn't depressed about Trunks. Not when her ex fiance was pressed up again her like that and not when they were making out like teenagers.

"I-...Trunks how could you?"


	10. 9

 Her hands couldn't even hold on to the bag of chocolates Marron had bought. They fell to the floor, thankfully not spilling; the movement was enough to catch Pan's notice.

Toran felt Pan go stiff in his arms, pulling sharply away from him, her face a mask of guilt and surprise maybe a little sadness.

"Pan...?" he got no response as she walked past him going back inside. It was then he noticed, the blonde haired blue-eyed girl standing in Pan's living room. She happened to be staring at Pan with a stunned look of hurt and shock. Toran stood silent behind Pan watching the two girls carefully, he didn't know what was going on, but the woman kept giving him strange looks.

The woman still in a daze asked, "How long has he been here?"

"Marron.... Pan finally spoke, "I-

The blonde shook out of her trance, and she looked more than slightly peeved, "I'm not quite sure I even want to hear what you're going to say." she said angrily, but not raising her voice, yet.

"How could you?" she said looking at both of them, hurt showing on her face. To Pan, "How, could, you? Do you know what his family is going through right now? Do you? They are going through hell right now because they think their son is missing or dead! What gives you the right to keep him here, while Bulma cries at the mere mention of her son because she thinks he's dead? For five years Pan! Five years!" Pan took yelling quietly, uncharacteristically silent not uttering a word, not even in her defense, not like the Panny he knew who would never back down from a challenge. Pan looked about to cry, she wouldn't she never did in front of other; her pride wouldn't allow her to.

Toran looked scowled, 'This has gone far enough!'

"Pan is not to blame for anything-"

The blonde locked her furious gaze on him, "Like hell she isn't! Five years Trunks! How dare you even show your face around here?! Where were you Trunks? Huh? Why did you leave?"

Toran realized the girl's anger was quickly fading leaving only an emotionally scared, very hurt woman before them, "Why did you leave us, Trunks? Your family? Your friends? And me? I waited all night on our anniversary. And you never came. You never came."

She was crying now her anger completely gone, she slid to the floor sobbing. Pan rushed over to comfort her friend giving her a hug and a shoulder to cry on.

Toran felt considerably out of place watching his girlfriend comfort a stranger to him, who happened to be sobbing in the middle of the floor.  The name Marron actually rang a bell, from the day he'd first arrived in Sataan city. He knew she use to be important to him somehow but wasn't sure how. Anniversary? I guess she must have been his fiancée.

The girl had stopped crying and was looking to him answers.

"Let's sit down," Pan suggested helping Marron to the couch.

He took a seat.

"There had better be a damn good explanation of this." she blonde groused. Toran had a feeling that that glare she was giving him would stay there a while if she didn't get an explanation. He frowned slightly, brows furrowing a bit.

"I don't know why I left, I can't remember. I woke up out in the middle of nowhere; and I couldn't remember a thing not even my own name."

Marron looked at him blankly. "Why aren't you home instead of here." more than a little barb in her voice as she glanced at Pan. Luckily Pan didn't see that she was looking at her hands, which were lying limp on her lap "My choice. Not Pan's fault in anyway." He took her silences as a sign to continue. "It was by chance I met Pan while here in the city, and it was by choice that I decided not to see my family."

"Do you think we'd have loved you any less because you can't remember anything? Your family would be so happy just to see you-

The blonde started, Marron might have continued on that subject but was interrupted Trunks.

"I don't remember you." he said cold and blunt. A look of hurt and pain settled onto Marron's face, tears beginning to well up.

"When I look at you, I might as well be looking at a stranger on the street." Pan looked at him warily, it wasn't like him to be cruel.

He ignored the look and the tears, eyes hard, his jaw set fiercely.

"It hurts to hear it but it's the truth. I don't remember my mother either. I can't imagine the kind of pain she been through, but I do know it would hurt even worse if I told her 'I don't know you.'

Couldn't do that to my family. I couldn't do that knowing it would hurt them more."  he said quietly, what ever reserves Marron had been about to unleash were burnt out now, an apologetic gaze flickered to Pan.

Toran stood, he needed to do some serious thinking about everything, it was becoming so much more complicated. He needed to think things through first before deciding anything.

The girls watched in silence as he began to leave.

Neither tried to stop him.

"And what about Pan?" Marron asked as he turned the knob of the door.

Toran stopped.

"For the first few weeks, every time she looked at me I saw the sadness and pain she was covering up...

 And every time I hated myself for it."

Pan sat silently with Marron, not knowing what to say.

"How much have you told him?" the blonde asked neither of them looking at each other.

Pan felt Marron was upset with her about Trunks. I would be to if I found my five years missing fiancé making out in my friend's apartment.

"Everything. You, his family, Capsule corp. Everything." she answered truthfully.

"And the funeral?"

"Yes."

"Its been moved, it'll be held in one month."

That doesn't leave much time.

"When did you tell him about it?"

"Last night."

"Oh... 

Great she probably took that the wrong way. Pan mentally kicked herself.

"how long has he been here?"

"A month, almost." Pan looked down at her hands again.

"He asked me not to tell anybody he was here and I respect his decision." Or are you just scared he'll leave you?

"So you two are a couple now, and here I thought you'd grow up and become an old maid!" Marron said laughing lightly but still a little shakily.

"You aren't mad at me? Are you?" Pan asked.

 They finally looked at each other, "Of course not Pan! I got over him a long time ago...I was upset and kind of overreacted." Marron smiled, getting a look on her face.

'Uh-oh '

"So Pan" she started slyly, "how long has been staying here." Marron said emphasizing the word 'here'. Pan turned beet red in five seconds flat, making Marron laugh out loud just at the site.

"It must have been some night if your that red!" she tease mercilessly.

"No! no! no! I- We didn't do anything! He slept out here in the living room." 

"Well if that's the case then here's something you need to know.

He's insatiable." Pan went red all over again.

Marron continued, intending to tease Pan a little further; it was the least she could do for snapping at her earlier.

"I have a hunch you saiya-jin may share that appetite, what a deal you'll be getting....So when can I expect there to be a wedding"

"Marron! Honestly our getting a bad as my mom and Bra! Were planning to see them today. I think he may have been scared of hurting them deep down. He's really sweet."

"You love him don't you?"

"Yes I do. He's change in so many way but he's still the same too. I think he's the one. I haven't told him yet."

"Your father's going to pitch a fit. I'll see you later Pan, give Trunks my regards. I won't tell, and tell him I'm sorry for blowing up like that. Bye!"

Toran meandered around the city deep in thought.

'This will quickly become a huge mess- no scratch that- is a mess. It was obvious to him now the longer he stayed with Pan the longer he be dragging the situation out and making a bigger mess. The phone call last night and the unexpected visit this morning were proof of that.

Toran was also aware that the past few weekends Pan had been declining her parents weekly invitation to stay over with them.

Now she was being hounded by her parents (and he threaten by her father).

I was sent here by Seito to learn some teamwork but now... He'd seen less of Matsuri and Gabe then he did the busy Tosei.

And he was only suppose to stay for a half year or less... That meant having to choose between staying here with Pan or returning to the mountains.

No contest there.  One major problem down, three more to go.

Toran paused looking at his surrounding, the park again.

 He spotted the bench where Pan had first ran into him.

"Strange how I keep winding up right here..." he mumbled to no one.

Toran sat down. Maybe it was his subconscious trying to tell him something, or just coincidence.

Problem number two: the case.

Cold trail Dead-end no go nobody else had been reported missing since the last one.

No fingerprints or leads. Only the sword marks but those lead to a dead end also. Since Tosei had no knowledge of who stole the Battosai in the first place that was a dead end too. Maybe Seito knows something more than then his brother, unlikely but worth a shot.

Problem number three: family, Pan's and his own.

It was only a matter of time, or chance before someone else stopped by Pan's unexpectedly like Marron. It might have been even worse if someone did stop, say a certain protective father who had little or no qualms with blowing his butt sky high.

A nagging feeling told him to look up into the midday sky.

Nothing new just clouds, birds, treetops, skyscrapers.

Hey there's that building again.... CC Hmm sounds like a girl's name. But it looked so familiar.... It seemed important for so reason, like the play ground in the park, but in a different way.

Toran racked his brain trying to remember, only to be greeted by the haze that perpetually clouded his mind. He concentrated harder, a deep scowl on his face.

Nothing.

He kept trying till he was blue in the face; his results stayed the same as ever.

This is not working. How come his memories sometimes came to him and other times didn't?  Was it Pan? Was she the only link to his forgotten past? He had regained a little bit of his past with her help much more then he had in the mountains. Little things, like outings with friends, and learning how to drive (or fly). Where he went to school, stuff like that. No thing big, no faces, not many.  Pan had been there to explain them a bit, before his mind caught on and recalled the event. But she had done the same with the photo album, not one single flash.

'No, that doesn't make sense either because I had flash back when I was in the mountains too. What was the difference? What's the difference between Panny and me sitting here wringing my brains out?' Toran closed his eyes feeling resigned, "Maybe that's just it. Maybe I'm just trying too hard."

After Marron left Pan cleaned up around her place to keep herself busy. She swept the kitchen floor with much vigor at a rhythmic and steady pace. Mindless physical work kept her from wondering too many things. Well actually worrying too many things. Like where did Trunks go? Would they still go see his family today? God, how would her parent react- no scratch that- How would her father react? Where did Trunks go?  Pan swept harder. Still that one question ran deep. She was scared, she'd wake up and he'd be gone again. A sudden cold pain stung her chest causing her to drop the broom. She would die if that ever happened. Pan heard the faint click of the balcony's sliding door.

Most likely Trunks. Though he was more prone to use normal entrances than windows and balconies.

"Tor..? What the-


End file.
